From 4 September 2006, the Tower of London will have a new permanent memorial to ten people* whose executions are associated with Tower Green.   A contemporary work by British artist Brian Catling, it will provide a focal point for contemplation, reflection and remembrance, To mark the unveiling of the memorial, the Tower of London floodlights will turn red for two weeks, visible after dark, and a special concert of memorial music will be held in the Chapel Royal at the Tower on 15 September 2006.

The memorial takes the form of a glass pillow resting on two polished disks, one of glass featuring the names of the ten people and one of granite carved with the words of a remembrance poem penned by the artist.  Brian Catling was awarded the commission in 2005 after five artists submitted proposals to interpret the Execution Site in a dignified and sympathetic way.  Their ideas were judged by public consultation and a Selection Panel**.

It is the first time that Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that cares for the Tower of London along with the four other unoccupied palaces, has commissioned a contemporary visual artwork for permanent display. The Tower has been at the heart of British history for the last 1,000 years and a number of people were executed within its walls. The memorial is intended to remember all those who were executed, with particular reference to the seven famous figures who were beheaded here and three soldiers known to have died on Tower Green.

From 7 December 2004 to 9 January 2005, visitors to the Tower of London and the public at large were invited to submit their opinions on the models of the five designs. The Selection Panel considered all the comments received and also sought guidance from English Heritage on the feasibility of the proposed sculptures before deciding on the overall winner of the commission.

The winner was selected against criteria including: quality of concept for the commission; aptitude for and sensitivity to collaboration; awareness of issues/context; scope for public engagement, imaginative use of scales and materials; lateral approach to scope of commission; timescale for production of artwork; feasibility; and completeness of response to the objectives and physical restraints of the site, as outlined in the original brief. 

*The ten executed people remembered specifically are:
William, Lord Hastings 1483  
Queen Anne Boleyn 1536
Margaret, Countess of Salisbury 1541 
Jane Viscountess Rochford 1542
Queen Katherine Howard 1542  
Lady Jane Grey 1554
Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex 1601 
Highlander Farquhar Shaw 19 July 1743
Highlander Samuel Macpherson 19 July 1743
Highlander Malcolm Macpherson 19 July 1743

**The Selection Panel comprised:
General Sir Roger Wheeler, Constable of the Tower of London
Michael Day, Chief Executive, Historic Royal Palaces
John Barnes, Conservation Director, Historic Royal Palaces
Jane Spooner, Curator (Historic Buildings), Tower of London
Ruth Gill, Head of Interpretation, Historic Royal Palaces
John Keohane, Chief Yeoman Warder, Tower of London
Dr. David Starkey, historian and broadcaster
Marina Warner, writer and critic
Iwona Blazwick, Director, Whitechapel Art Gallery
Antonia Byatt, Director, The Women’s Library

Advised by:
Vivien Lovell, Director, and Louise Trodden, Commissions Manager
Modus Operandi Art Consultants