The sculpture 'Dr Salter's Dream' by Diane Gorvin. Alfred Salter waves at his daughter Joyce (who died age nine of scarlet fever). Her cat sits on the wall nearby.. Dr Salter (1873-1945) provided medical care to the poor of Bermondsey. He was a Quaker and an MP (Labour, representing Bermondsey West). His wife Ada was mayor of Bermondsey. It represents the daydream of an old man remembering happier times when his ’sunshine’ was still alive.

The plaque next to his statue gave a short biography: "Dr. Alfred Salter was born in 1873 in Greenwich and started at the Guys Hospital in 1889. He visited homes in Bermondsey and was deeply impressed by the poverty and appalling housing conditions.

He took up residence at the Bermondsey Settlement in 1898, established a dividing insurance society which gave allowance to members during ill health and started a men’s adult school on Sunday mornings. He upset his professional colleagues by charging only sixpence for medical consultations.

His daughter Joyce was born in June 1902, and Dr. Salter was elected to Bermondsey Borough Council as a Liberal Whip and became a JP. By way of further proof of the sincerity of their commitment to the people of Bermondsey, Joyce was educated locally, and not elsewhere. Later he resigned from the Liberals and joined the independent Labour Party and formed, with fourteen others, the Socialist Movement of Bermondsey. At this point the Salter’s only child, Joyce, caught scarlet fever for the third time and died aged 8 in June 1910. This personal tragedy which might have been averted had Joyce been educated elsewhere, increased their commitment to the area and its people.

The Salters bought Fairby Grange in Kent, and turned it into a convalescent home for Bermondsey patients. Dr. Salter became MP for Bermondsey in 1922, the result being announced by London’s first woman mayor, Ada Salter. Mrs Salter aimed to have trees in every street and in two years 9000 trees were planted. The Daily Telegraph at the time described “an object lesson in what can be done to beautify even the pooerest neighbourhood”. Through Dr. Salter’s efforts play facilities were established at Long Lane, at Tooley Street and at Tanner Street (on the site if the old Bermondsey Workhouse).

He prepared ambitious plans to replace 180 year old tenements with lower density developments, such as Wilson Grove (formerly Salisbury Street) which can still be seen today. At Salisbury Street 1035 people lived in only 155 homes, but after the Labour victory in the election of 1924, rapid progress was made. It was set back by the incoming Conservative administration later in 1924. The new Minister of Health refused permission for the Salisbury Street plan for the second time, saying that some of the land must be sold for commercial purposes.

Salter successfully campaigned for a solarium to treat tuberculosis sufferers of which there were hundreds in Bermondsey. Children were even sent to recuperate in Switzerland, as the fresh mountain air aided their recovery. The results speak for themselves. Between 1911 and 1935 the infant mortality rate fell from 160 to 69 and in 1935 when 1487 babies were born not one mother died in childbirth."

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Gordons wine bar is thought to be the oldest wine bar in London and has been established in its present form since 1890. This place with its old wooden walls, small staircase downwards and lack of lighting, certainly hasnt changed much over the ways or gone the way of glass and chrome like so many other bars.You can smell the ancient atmosphere as soon as you walk in through the door. It gets so packed in here by people "in the know" but so many people pass it by without realising what a gem this place is inside.

The building was home to Samuel Pepys in the 1680s and more recently (1820) by Minier & Fair, a firm of seedsmen who used it as a warehouse. This came to an abrupt end when, in 1864, the river was embanked and the warehouse landlocked, following which it was turned into accommodation and Gordons wine bar began its life. Rudyard Kipling lived in the building in the 1890s as a tenant and famously wrote “The light that failed” in the parlour above the bar, the building is now named Kipling House. Arthur Gordon who set up the bar in 1890 was one of the few remaining “free vintners” who were able to set up and sell wine anywhere without applying for a license as a result of Edward III’s Charter to them in 1364 – granted as a result of his financial embarrassment at being unable to repay a loan made by the Vintners to him some years earlier! The current Gordon family who own the bar are not actually related to Arthur Gordon but it was a happy coincidence that Luis Gordon discovered the bar and took it over in 1975 so was able to maintain the Gordon name.

'Eel Shops' were around long before modern day burger joints claimed a pitch on every High Street and even date back earlier than fish and chip shops. Pies and eels are quick to prepare and can be served eat-in or take-way...the original fast food!

Number 359, the last building on Amhurst Road, hasn't changed much since August 1971, when a police squad raided the upstairs flat and found a small arsenal of weapons and explosives. They belonged to Britain's homegrown urban terrorist group, the Angry Brigade. In the series of 25 bombings attributed to them no

one was killed (one person was slightly injured), but they were a serious embarrassment to Edward Heath's government. For a brief period between August 1970 and August 1971, the authorities were unable to stop a group of left-wing adventurers bombing the homes of Tory politicians, as well as government and corporate offices

Police found 60 rounds of ammunition, a Browning revolver, a sten gun, and a Beretta said to have been used in an attack on the US embassy in 1967. In a cabinet in the hallway was a polythene bag stuffed with 33 sticks of gelignite and more ammunition. They also found detonators, a knife, a hand-operated duplicating machine used for the production of 'communiqués', and a John Bull children's printing set used to authenticate Angry Brigade releases tothe press. Bags of documents removed from the flat included lists of names and addresses of prominent Tories.

I spotted this modern sculpture obviously there because of the location Dog Kennel Hill. Does anybody know the reason it was originally called Dog Kennel Hill though? Did royalty once keep kennels there? eg like Henry V111 having kennels at the Spotted Dog in Forest Gate..........

Designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, this elaborate suspension bridge was opened in 1887. The wrought-iron framework on the towers and cross-beams are clad in ornamental cast-iron casings to give the appearance of arches. The bridge has several traffic contrictions due to it not being as strong as the other Thames bridges. It has been said that the weakness of the bridge caused it to be targeted by the IRA who allegedly attempted to bomb it three times. In 1939, a local ladies' hairdresser , while on his lunch break spotted a smoking suitcase and immediately threw it over the side of the bridge. In 1996, Hammersmith Bridge hosted the largest Semtex bomb ever found on mainland Britain (32lb )but luckily the bomb failed to explode. Lastly, in 2000, a small bomb placed under the lower mall managed to cause some damage to a supporting girder, causing the bridge to be shut completely for several months.

Chatham's Billy Childish is a leading underground figure in America, Europe and Japan, and by far the most prolific poet, painter and songwriter of his generation. In a 20 year period he has published more than 30 collections of poetry, recorded over 100 albums of his music and exhibited his paintings worldwide. The current notoriety of his ex-girlfriend, Tracy Emin has brought him under the spotlight of mainstream media interest. Despite being a noted influence on everyone from Mudhoney to Nirvana and on to Beck and The White Stripes he is indifferent to fame, and he prefers to limit his London gigs to a backroom of a pub in Tufnell Park.

Chas and Dave are the kings of cockney pop rock music. They were regulars on British TV from 1975 onwards and had hits like Gertcha and Rabbit and Sideboard. Their music was featured in a TV beer advertising campaign which also helped to establish them in the UK. The unique cockney style of singing was from the start intentional. They felt an alternative to the way British bands copied American accents was needed. The songs above are partly comic and Chas 'n' Dave are identified with London pub culture'Rockney' has been coined as a term for their music style.They have always done a great deal of live work, and are currently doing shows all over the UK.

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