Cultivation of Beauty is a Civic Duty, Ada Salter

Ada Salter was a pioneering social reformer, environmentalist, and pacifist whose work transformed the urban landscape of Bermondsey in London. Active in the slums from the late 1890s, she became one of the first women councillors in London in 1909 and later, in 1922, the first woman mayor in London—and the first Labour woman mayor in the British Isles. Rooted in her belief that “the cultivation of flowers and trees is a civic duty,” Salter dedicated her life to improving the lives of working-class people through social, environmental, and political reforms.

In 1920, Salter launched her famous Beautification Committee as part of her broader campaign to revitalize Bermondsey, an area then scarred by industrial pollution and urban decay. The committee’s mission was clear: to counteract the dreariness of the interwar era by replacing grim, soot-covered streets with vibrant public spaces that could lift the community’s spirit. Under her leadership, the committee orchestrated projects that ranged from planting thousands of trees along the pavements to decorating public squares with window-boxes and flower beds. By the 1930s, these efforts had resulted in the planting of approximately 9,000 trees and the installation of around 60,000 plants—a tangible transformation that not only improved air quality and public health but also reawakened a sense of community pride. This pioneering work helped set the stage for broader urban planning reforms, including the legal establishment of a Green Belt around London in 1938.

Ada Salter’s legacy endures in both the physical and cultural fabric of London. Her innovative approach combined urban gardening with social activism, proving that beautification was not merely an aesthetic pursuit but a vital component of community well-being. The transformation she championed in Bermondsey—from the creation of welcoming playgrounds and ‘utopian’ council houses in areas like Wilson Grove to the vibrant green spaces that replaced drab, polluted streets—has inspired generations of urban planners and community activists. Today, memorials such as the Ada Salter Garden in Southwark Park and commemorations including blue plaques and the annual Salter Memorial Lecture celebrate her lasting impact. Her life and work, detailed in biographies like Graham Taylor’s Ada Salter: Pioneer of Ethical Socialism (2016) and remembered in recent English Heritage blue plaque unveilings (2023), remind us that cultivating beauty in our urban landscapes is an enduring civic duty that enriches the lives of all citizens.

The tea towel shown in the video is available for purchase from https://radicalteatowel.co.uk/ who i have no affliation or communication with beside liking some of their designs.

This video is shared with a crative commons licence so you're free to use, edit, remix and share it however you want to whoever you want. Lyrics written by me and chatGPT, music is created by Suno AI (after about fifty attempts).

Lyrics:

Ada Salter - Cultivation of Beauty is a Civic Duty

[Clear voice announcement, clear narration introduction]
The cultivation of beauty is a civic duty. Ada Salter.

[story telling tone]
Interwar era Bermondsey, the factories roared,
The air was thick, and the spirit was sore.

A woman stood up with her voice clear,
spreading the word that a better world could be near,

For Ada saw promise in the gloom and the din,
Believing that beauty could help hope begin.

She rallied the neighbors with flowers in mind,
A Beautification Committee that was caring and kind.

A simple goal, ‘Fresh air and fun.’
making playgrounds for children to laugh and run,

Trees by the pavements, fresh gardens in squares,
Inviting the people to lighten their cares.

[flourish]

Soon flowers replaced soot, and spirits grew bright,
Health and happiness rose with each new blossom in sight.

London witnessed the slums rearranged
and a wave of green ideas were widely exchanged.

[Chorus]
Plant the seeds where hope can grow,
Bright blooms in every street we sow.
A place is transformed by color and care,
For beauty lifts hearts everywhere.

[verse 2]
In the slums she planted her dream,
Nine thousand trees and a river of green.

Sixty thousand flowers, window-boxes in bloom,
She turned every shadow into a pleasant room.

With music and art, she lifted the soul,
Built utopian homes where the heart could feel whole.

From the inner-city to the Green Belt, her vision took flight,
A socialist garden, a beacon of light!"

[chorus]
Plant the seeds where hope can grow,
Bright blooms in every street we sow.
A place is transformed by color and care,
For beauty lifts hearts everywhere.

Remember Ada Salter's words,
and make the world pretty like she urged,
The cultivation of beauty is a civic duty.

The cultivation of beauty is a civic duty.

oh yes, The cultivation of beauty is a civic duty.