London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Strolling through London, you might meet these extraordinary characters…

What an extraordinary way to dress!

The coastermongers used these brilliant buttons on their clothes. Henry Croft, brought up in an orphanage close to St Pancras started to collect the lost ones he found on the floor. Then upgraded his own clothes with them, including his hat and wooden stick. He was nicknamed the Pearly King. Tis was in 1875 -  a real success: people would stop him, give him a coin or two which he then gave to his childhood orphanage to help other kids out. Little by little, associations, hospitals asked him to raise money for them. The demand was so great that he had to recruit other Pearly Kings and Queens.

These days, the tradition continues and they support a cause or the other. Oftenn, the suit is transmitted wihtin the family. I often see them @ Covent Garden, always smiling and ready to pose for a picture.

Look at the designs closely. Each circle is a one penny size and each sign has a meaning. Some are  logical: a horseshoe means luck, a dove peace. Others are more difficult to guess: an anchor would be hope, a flower pot a costermonger…

There is an official parade the first sunday of October – can’t wait to see this royal walk!

Have a look on their website for more pictures. Or watch Mary Poppins again, they do appear in the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

At Greenwich, this week-end, a Pearly King had brought his colourful royal coach…

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