A fifty-foot tall mural commemorating the people of Bermondsey and the area’s rich history has been completed by the Blue market place.
The mural, which is on St James’ Road on the corner of Drappers Way, was painted by famous mural artist Paul Butler, and depicts the history of the area, from the dockers at the top, to pioneering socialist mayor Ada Salter in the middle, to present-day Blue legend, fishmonger Russell Dryden at the bottom – and plenty more besides.
The mural – officially called the Blue Bermondsey People’s Mural – was finished last Saturday (June 18) after years of work by Paul, his partner Linda James, local artists and others. That work included research, going into local schools to discuss the mural, designing, and finally two months of painting.
Celebrating the life of Ada Salter, a pioneer and social reformer
Mr Butler, who also painted the famous mural commemorating the Battle of Cable Street against local fascists in the 1930s, said: “I would like to make the point that Bermondsey is an extraordinary place, because it was very significant in the industrial revolution. The local people are proud of that history – and they ought to be proud of it. The first canning factory in the world, the biggest biscuit factory, a huge tanning industry, the docks – these are things that should be remembered.
“We wanted to celebrate the people and also the fact that people have worked in these huge industries and made a hugely significant contribution to the industrial revolution. It created great wealth but also a great deal of suffering. There is no question that Bermondsey was very poor at the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth.”
As is well-documented, Ada Salter came to Bermondsey with her husband, the doctor Alfred, and became mayor. In office, she transformed the area, building housing, planting trees, and improving local residents’ quality of life. This year is the hundredth anniversary of her becoming mayor.
Ada is the centrepiece of the new mural. Mr Butler added: “The reason she and Alfred moved to Bermondsey was to help the people and improve their environment and improve their conditions. In the end although in his lifetime Alfred was much more famous, it was Ada who actually emerged as in some ways a more important figure. She was the first female mayor in London, and she had contact with people all over the world. She knew Lenin.
Which Southwark person, place or event should get a blue plaque this year?
“She went to big conferences about helping people to improve their conditions in other cities. People from all over Europe visited Bermondsey because of the incredible work she did.”
Asked if it was difficult to include Ada but not her husband, Paul said: “Yes, in a way, but Ada was really focused on Bermondsey, whereas Alfred had a wider focus. She was one of the first environmentalists in a way. There’s a saying ‘Give them bread and roses.’ It’s not enough just to give people bread, they need roses. She gave them trees by the thousands.”
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Something that came out in the artists’ research was that local people wanted important recent figures included, like Hannah Orchard who ran a vegetable stall, Flo Weller who sold flowers, Russell in his white coat and Dora Dixon-Fyle, a councillor and former Southwark mayor. Also included is the mother of Kathleen Heather, who runs the Bermondsey pantry food bank.
“I saw Kathy walking past a few times when I was working on the mural,” Paul said. “I spontaneously rushed up to her with a paintbrush and said ‘Can you give me a hand?’ She laughed and we got talking.”
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Other figures in the mural are invented. Paul said he found it “hugely enjoyable to bring figures to life”. One woman with a large nose at the bottom is based on a woman Paul met in the Blue. “She may not feel like it’s a good likeness!”, he joked.
The mural is painted with Keim paint, which is “incredibly durable,” Paul said. “There are murals painted with Keim that are well over 100 years old.”
Designing a mural of this kind is particularly difficult because of the artificial perspective. “I’ve had a lifetime’s experience, but I still struggle,” Paul said. “It’s one of the things people don’t really appreciate about murals. For example, the docker on the top left, you’re looking up at the top half of his body then when you look at his feet you’re looking down.
“And the scales involved are enormous – Russell’s head is over five foot, getting on for two metres.”
The whole project was organised by the Bermondsey Blue BID, which is run by Russell, and had funding from Sadiq Khan. Russell said: “It’s beautiful – if that can’t make you happy I don’t know what will!”
The project was originally meant to take place by John Bull arch on Southwark Park road, but a survey found that it had too much bomb damage to be viable.
Who are the people in the mural?
The top section is the dockers. Below them to the left is Flo Weller, who ran a flower stall in the Blue. The white-haired woman in blue is former Bermondsey mayor Ada Salter. To the right of her is Cllr Dora Dixon-Fyle. Running down the left-hand side are people working in the canning factor.
At the bottom on the right are market traders and customers, including fishmonger and Blue Bermondsey BID boss Russell Dryden.