Bethnal Green Tube Disaster Remembered – 83 Years On

The Stairway to Heaven Memorial commemorates the victims of the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster, in which 173 people lost their lives on 3 March 1943 at Bethnal Green Underground Station.

In 2006, while regularly passing through the station, we noticed a small plaque marking the tragedy and realised how little public recognition the disaster had received. Wanting to create a fitting tribute, we began researching the event and developing a memorial that would properly acknowledge the scale of the loss.

Working through our practice, Arboreal Architecture, we designed a large teak structure cast to the exact dimensions of the staircase where the fatal crush occurred. The memorial appears to float alongside the original 19 steps, representing the space in which hundreds of people became trapped.

The design incorporates 173 openings in the roof, allowing sunlight to shine through in remembrance of each life lost. Along the base, plaques tell the story of the disaster through the voices of survivors, relatives and officials who were present that night, alongside the full names and ages of the victims.

Following the formation of a charity committee in 2007 and many years of fundraising and planning, the memorial was constructed in two phases and officially unveiled in 2017 in Bethnal Green Gardens, beside the station entrance where the tragedy occurred.