Have you ever stopped and noticed a curious looking steel box in the middle of Elephant and Castle? It’s been there for years, now standing sentinel beside the looming shopping complex as it nears it’s Westfieldian completion. It’s a memorial to Michael Faraday (1791-1867) who was born and raised in nearby Newington Butts. A Chemist and Physicist, Faraday was mostly self educated as his parents had little money. He contributed vastly to electromagnetism and invented the electric motor. In fact, he’s responsible for the little motor inside the device on which you’re reading this. He’s also the dude who used to be on the £20 note (kids, bank notes are something old people used to use to pay for things).

Back to the box. Its 1961 and London Underground needed to construct an electricity substation above ground. The original concept was to encase the substation in glass to allow people a view of what Faraday pioneered. However, out of a fear of vandalism it was designed out of a dimpled stainless steel, giving it an appearance of having been hit repeatedly by a car. Right now you might be thinking ‘vandalism in the Elephant, never!’ but alas, even with its dimpled skin it’s faced indignity in spite of being Grade II listed.

As well as being London’s strangest yet most practical memorial, it comes with the thrilling concept of potential death! (although other buildings in Elephant have proved more lethal). Apparently even if Mr. Faraday in heaven was able to squirrel his way into the box his electromagnetic genius would prove useless and his fate would be sealed in the box, making it the world’s first electromagnetic mausoleum.