IMG 1386-001-Henry Croft Plaque

Phoenix Road, Somers Town. Henry Croft was the original Pearly. As a kid, he earned money as a street sweeper around the markets, picking up pearl buttons that spilled from costermonger's barrels. He began collecting donations to help the poor and hit on the idea of sewing the buttons to his jacket and trousers to identify himself. Here's his statue in the crypt of St Martin in the Fields: