Remembering London’s Pearly King of Peckham
State of the World from NPR

Remembering London’s Pearly King of Peckham

B2Upper-intermediateOctober 1, 20266 min
  • Documentary
  • Arts & culture

In mother-of-pearl suits, the Pearly Kings used to canvass East London for charity. The tradition of the Pearly Kings stretches back to the 1800s, when this area of the city was gritty and poor, and dressing up gave working-class people dignity. The most famous of the Pearly Kings, George Major, died in August at age 88. Major’s portrait still greets arrivals at Heathrow Airport, and he’s said to be the inspiration for an iconic character in a British sit-com. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponso...

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Austin Tice is an American journalist who disappeared over a decade ago while reporting in Syria. And for years, we've been searching for him. This looks like a secret passage. I'm just pushing the door so he can get in.

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Come, come, come. Listen to Where Is Austin Tice? from NPR's Embedded and BBC Radio 4 on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Today on State of the World, remembering London's pearly king of Peckham. You're listening to State of the World from NPR, a human perspective on global events.

0:41

It's Thursday, October 1st. I'm Christine Arismath. London's East End used to be factories and docklands. Now it's shiny skyscrapers.

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