Clowning Around

Bringing a smile to passersby and encouraging the tourists into their shop, The guys at Cool Britannia in Piccadilly have the most novel ways to sell their souvenirs.

Annual memorial to Grimaldi

Today the 65th annual memorial service to honour the British clown Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1835) is held. This memorial was originally held at St James where he is buried (above). The service moved to the Holy Trinity church in Dalston in 1959. Traditionally this date marked the beginning of the circus touring circuit.
So don't be surprised if you are overwhelmed by lots of clowns if you are in East London today.