The Pearly Suit and pearl-covered hats are an easily recognizable symbol of London, England

The tradition of the Pearly Kings and Queens goes back to 1875 when Henry Croft was looking for an idea to bring attention to his charity work.

Henry was an orphan and when he was thirteen years of age he began work as a road sweeper in Somers Town, London. There he worked in the market and was drawn to the Costermongers whom he found to be generous.

He was fascinated with their fashion of using pearl buttons stitched onto the seams of their trousers, jackets, waistcoats (vests) and caps. This was to show their status in the market. They were also caring people and looked after one another during times of sickness or need.

So impressed was he that Henry decided he would like to help people less fortunate than himself, which brings us back to his charity work idea. Whenever he was sweeping up around the market he found pearl buttons that had fallen off so he collected them and gradually sewed them onto a suit of his own until it was totally covered - a smother suit as it is called. The ones with fewer buttons are called skeleton suits.

There are many designs for the suits, which usually reflect the owner's particular interests. For example:

• Horseshoes are for luck
• Doves are for peace
• Hearts are for charity
• Anchors are for hope
• Crosses are for faith
• A Wheel is for the circle of life
• Playing cards show that life is a gamble
• Flower pots and donkey carts are for costermongers

The outfits have tens of thousands of buttons on them and can weigh as much as thirty kilograms.

Almost every area of London has its own royal family within the Pearly Society. A prince or princess can only graduate to the status of King or Queen once their elders are sure of their maturity, knowledge of the group's history and have a strong commitment to the job of collecting for charity.

The Pearlies take every opportunity to dress up and collect for charity. They can be seen in parades, at Bank Holiday Fairs such as on Hampstead Heath, and even travel outside of London when requested. The one day in the year when they all try to gather for a parade is for the Lord Mayor's Show which occurs at the beginning of November and wends it way through the City of London.

Probably the Pearly King and Queen most well-known around the world are the couple from Mary Poppins who sang - Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious.

A statue of Henry Croft can be seen in the Crypt of St. Martins in the Field in Trafalgar Square.