Dr Salter’s Daydream: A Moving Set Of Statues In Bermondsey

Walk along the river path through Bermondsey and Rotherhithe and you will find an unusual set of four statues. They depict Dr Alfred and Ada Salter, their daughter Joyce and their cat. Collectively they are known as ‘Dr Salter’s Daydream’.

The Salters were an amazing couple and, hopefully you shall see, lived inspiring lives.

The set of sculptures, by Diane Gorvin and originally not including the statue of Ada, was unveiled at Cherry Garden Pier in 1991 and moved to its current location on Bermondsey Wall East in 2003. 

Dr Alfred Salter- A Man On A Mission

Dr Alfred Salter was born in 1873 in Greenwich and qualified as a doctor in 1896. He worked for a few years as a physician at Guy’s Hospital and in 1898 moved to Bermondsey, a very deprived area of London in this period, with some of the worst slums in the city.

In 1900 he married Ada and set up a medical practice in Bermondsey. Seeing the awful living conditions of those around him, he offered free medical services to those who could not afford to pay. What he offered has been described as an ‘NHS before the NHS’.

He was heavily criticised for this by his fellow doctors because they thought it would reduce their business. He also would play educational films on hygiene from vans at the side of the road.

He became involved in politics to bring about further change and was elected in 1903 to the local council.

In 1906 he filled the vacant seat of Southwark, Bermondsey on the London County Council. He became a member of the Independent Labour Party and ran multiple times to become an MP. In 1922 Alfred was successful and became the Labour MP for Bermondsey West. He finally stood down in 1945 due to poor health and died that year, aged 72. 

A Tragic Loss

The Salters decided to remain living amongst those they were trying to help rather than move to a more affluent area. They tragically ended up paying the ultimate price for this self-sacrifice. 

In 1902 their daughter Joyce, was born. Very sadly, in 1910, at the age of eight, Joyce died of scarlet fever when an epidemic swept through the slums. The grief they experienced spurred them further on to improve conditions in the area. 

The sculpture therefore, ‘Dr Salter’s Daydream’, is showing the family at a happy time in their lives. 

In 2011 the statue of Dr Salter was stolen and had to be recast (more on this further down). It was at this time that the statue of Ada Salter was added, as she was very much also a figure worth honouring in her own right. 

Ada Salter

Ada Salter was born in 1866 in Raunds, Northamptonshire and was a force of nature, dedicating her life to improving the lives of others. 

In 1896 she joined the Wesleyan Sisters of the People and then the Bermondsey Settlement in 1897. The Bermondsey Settlement was a ‘settlement house’, a Methodist foundation that offered services such as recreational activities, educational classes and social opportunities for the poor of the area. Ada met Alfred through the Settlement in 1898. 

Ada also became involved in local politics. She was the President of the Women’s Liberal Association but resigned when the Liberal party dropped their commitment to full suffrage.

In 1908 she helped found the Bermondsey Branch of the Independent Labour Party, before becoming both the first Labour councillor for Bermondsey and the first woman to do the job. In 1922 she was elected Mayor of Bermondsey, becoming the first Labour woman to be mayor in Britain and the first woman mayor of a London borough. So, in other words, she was a trailblazer for women in politics! 

She was particularly involved in improving housing and pushing for more green space around the borough. She was later elected to the London County Council to bring these changes to London as a whole.

Ada died in 1942 and in March 2023 a blue plaque was unveiled for her by Dame Judi Dench at a property she lived at on 149 Lower Road, Rotherhithe. 

Find out more about the plaque here. 

A Theft

As mentioned above, in 2011 the original sculpture of Dr Salter was stolen. It is presumed that it was stolen for the metal and melted down. The other two statues therefore were removed for safe-keeping. 

The community raised £60,000 to replace the statue and at the same time, the statue of Ada was added. The new arrangement was unveiled in 2014.

It is fantastic to see two, relatively unsung London heroes, honoured in this way.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s quirky historical sights below!