Dreaming by the river

After a huge fund-raising effort, with match funding from the Council, the Salter statues are finally back in place on the riverside near the Angel pub.

Mean-spirited thieves had walked off with the memorial to the man who had magnificently served Bermondsey as doctor, MP, and social reformer for the best part of a life time.

Happily 'Dr Salter's Daydream' is now back in place in its Thames-side location, featuring this time not just the good doctor, his daughter, Joyce (and her cat), but his wife, too, Ada, Alderman of the London County Council and the great campaigner for the beautification of Bermondsey who saw to it that trees were planted in every street, and flowers bloomed on every piece of scrap land.

A large crowd gathered on the riverside this afternoon to see the new statues unveilled by relatives of the Salters and the local Director of Public Health.

There were speeches from the Deputy Mayor, the Leader of the Council, Simon Hughes MP, and several members of the Salter family.

The Salters were strongly motivated by their deeply held Christian beliefs. In due course they both became Quakers but they had strong links with St James's Church (whose vicar, G.R. Balleine, a leading evangelical of his day, and a committed socialist, was a friend and supporter) and Alfred Salter's packed memorial service was held there.

That crucial part of the life of this remarkable couple was scarcely mentioned today, but there was something very appropriate about 'Dr Salter's Daydream' being unveilled on Advent Sunday because when they dreamed of a Better Bermondsey, Ada and Alfred, were dreaming of what Christians and the Bible call the Kingdom of God, and on this day of the Church year we especially look for the coming of that kingdom.

Alfred Salter surrounded by admirers this afternoon