That one man came to epitomise the Bermondsey spirit, or how he said it himself, “the last bastion of Cockneydom in the borough” – the sudden death of Russell Dryden will be seen by many in the area as the end of an era for the Blue Market Square itself.
This was a man who was so vocal in his support for the Blue that walking past his patch now, where his stall stood for over 30 years, you are so aware that it is mournfully silent. You can still almost hear his voice from the fish stall in your head.
He spoke like many would think a Bermondsey market trader would speak, but this man of music had a great poetic tone – anyone who saw the hand-written boards he wrote by the fish stall would know exactly what we mean.
This was a man filled with passion – passion for an area that he knew inside out and loved.
- READ FULL Tribute to Russell Dryden HERE
He more than many had seen and been affected by the changing times, good and bad for Bermondsey, and was determined that the Blue would remain a focal point, even if he had fallen out of fashion.
He wanted the Blue to thrive and did all he could to galvanise the powers that be – the council, the Mayor of London and the developers – to help transform the fortune of an area that does not appear to be keeping pace with the continuing gentrification of the area and London in general.
Like he told us in an interview in 2018, his mantra was: never look back, and despite seeing the heydays come and go for the Blue he was determined to look forward to a brighter future. This is what he did with the Bermondsey Carnival – despite continuing funding problems. He did do his very best to keep it going.
It is that grit, that firm belief and that dogged determination that saw the fishmonger of the Blue become its biggest champion and now its greatest loss.
A book of condolence was open last Saturday at the Blue Market Square and will be available for people to sign and leave a message this Saturday (May 25) between 10am and 4pm.
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You can also leave a message on Bue Facebook HERE by writing condolence, which will be added into the book.
