Take a Seat - Conversations on My Mother's Bench

'I'll remind you, to remind me
We said we wouldn't look back.'
Mum, Gran and Musical Fan
Inscription on Margaret Birkett's (1933-2024) memorial bench, Russell Square.

An ordinary bench is a spot to sit, wonder and chat.

Passers by come from all over the world and take a seat to rest from their worries, share a coffee with a friend, have a lunch break from work, revise for their studies, remember something or someone they've lost. This bench - named in memory of the creator's mother Margaret - cradles all these stories.

Click on the QR code next to the bench or click here. and hear moments, memories and tales from all over the world by those who've rested there. Take A Seat shares their ordinary and extraordinary lives, and asks you to contribute your own thoughts to the bench's library.

Margaret worked for almost 50 years in Senate House. Russell Square was the pivot of her adult life. Included are the voices of Margaret's family - her daughter who studied at SOAS, her son who had holiday jobs at the University, her granddaughter who trained as a teacher at Institute of Education, her grandson who graduated from RADA.

Creator of Take A Seat Dea Birkett invites you to get to know her family and share stories from your own. Do take a seat. Let's have a chat.

Find the bench signposted in the NE corner of Russell Square Gardens near the Caffe Tropea.