The End of September has traditionally welcomed a dazzlingly colourful event – the London Pearly Kings and Queens Costermongers’ Harvest Festival. The procession, which included maypole and Morris dancers, historical figures look-alikes, as well as live music from marching bands, was a fabulous spectacle to watch.
The event featured donkeys and carts, in homage to the Pearlies’ origins from the costermongers of the late nineteenth century. They are declared their London pride by shouting along to ‘Maybe It’s Because I’m a Londoner’ – before embarking on a parade around the City of London from The Guildhall to a special Harvest Festival service at St Mary-le-Bow Church.
First organised pearly society, formed in Finchley, North London in 1911, is associated with Henry Croft – an orphan street sweeper who collected money for charity. At the time, London costermongers (apple sellers) were in the habit of wearing trousers decorated at the seams with pearl buttons that had been found by market traders. Croft adapted this to create a pearly suit to draw attention to himself and aid his fund-raising activities.
‘The Pearlies’ are now divided into several active groups. The oldest is the Pearly Guild, which began in 1902; modern additions include the London Pearly Kings and Queens Society which started in 2001, another is the Pearly Kings and Queens Guild.Despite the rivalries, each group is associated with a church in central London and is committed to raising money for London-based charities.
