Memorial to 7/7 victims

A memorial commemorating the 52 victims of the July 7, 2005 terrorist bombings in London was to be unveiled today on the fourth anniversary of the attacks.

A monument honouring the dead and costing nearly £1m (€1.16m) has been created in Hyde Park – 52 stainless steel columns, or stelae, three and half metres tall.

Each one is unique and they have been grouped together in four clusters reflecting the separate locations of the bombings – Tavistock Square, Edgware Road, King’s Cross and Aldgate.

Near these locations four suicide bombers detonated their rucksack devices during the morning of July 7, killing not only the 52 but injuring hundreds of others, some seriously.

A stainless steel plaque naming all those who died has also been erected at the memorial site between the park’s Lover’s Walk and Park Lane.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Tory leader David Cameron, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, London Mayor Boris Johnson and senior figures from the Emergency services and representatives of other organisations will be present during the unveiling ceremony.