British government announces plans to commemorate Sept. 11

LONDON -- Britain will plant a garden of native American and British flowers to commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the government said Tuesday.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said the garden, which will feature an oak pergola and a traditional pavilion, will be built near the U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square in the British capital.

Plans were also released Tuesday by St. Paul's Cathedral for a service to be attended by Prince Charles, U.S. Ambassador William S. Farish and senior government ministers to mark the anniversary of the attacks. An invited congregation of 2,000 people, including families of the 67 Britons who died when terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, will attend the 50-minute service on Sept. 11.

The government expects the $1.5 million remembrance garden to be ready for the second anniversary of the attacks in 2003.

A stone centerpiece with an inscription remembering victims of all nationalities will sit among the paving and the names of the British victims will be featured elsewhere in the garden.