London Life: A Splash of real London history...

....the Pearly Kings and Queens of London a tradition began in 1875 by a young lad named Henry Croft, who was born and raised in an orphanage on Charlton Street in Somers Town.

Henry was particularly drawn to the Costermongers who were a tough breed of market traders he got to know more about their way of life, their generosity and their fashion of smoke pearl buttons sewn on the piped seams of their trousers, jackets, waistcoats and caps.

To help those who were more unfortunate than himself swept the market streets he started to collect all the pearl buttons he found that had fallen off of the clothes of people visiting the market, and when he had enough he started to sew them on his cap and then continued until his entire suit was filled, the very first smother suit.

Because Henry was an orphan he had no one to help him with his suit so he had to learn how to sew. It was this that started the tradition, which is still carried on by descendants of original Pearly Families, that the Kings do all the designs and sewing. Designs on suits tend to run in families.

The Pearly Kings and Queens visit Covent Garden on the 3rd weekend of every month to collect for their organisation, which is where I was this morning whilst watching a man dancing on top of a ladder with no support and juggling in his underpants....no, seriously....look.

Hope that you have all had a great weekend. A LARGER than life King.