May 8, 2019
Bluecoats
Found on several buildings across London are figures depicting boys and girls dressed in blue. Depending on the location, the boy and girl can be seen clutching different items, commonly caps, scrolls, and bibles. The figures denote the premises as being (or having some association with) a charity “blewcoat” school, the earliest dating back to the 16th Century.
The coats of the children were dyed blue, as it was the cheapest available dye at the time, and somewhat a mark of the wearer being of the lower classes. Some statues also show yellow socks – they were apparently dyed this colour by saffron, which was said to ward off rats!
