Pierrot troupes, alongside Punch & Judy and Pantomime are one of the only indigenous English performance forms. The heritage and folk traditions of oral culture and misrule are epitomised in the eccentric Englishness of the Pierrot clown.

It has a rich comic and musical history, and many famous names of light entertainment started as seaside Pierrots - Arthur Askey, Stanley Holloway, Max Miller and Leslie Crowther to name but a few. The story of Pierrots begins with the development of the seaside resorts and the burgeoning mass markets of the holidaymakers. The true origins are not known, but the earliest references are of Clifford Essex (now of banjo-manufacturing fame) whose first Pierrot troupe became known as the “Clifford Essex’s Royal Pierrots” after performing for the Prince of Wales at the Cowes Regatta on the Isle of Wight in 1890.

The Pierrots quickly took-over from the black-faced itinerant entertainers who played both seasides and inland fairs and within 5 or 6 years, there were many troupes throughout the country. The Pierrotters are the last vestige of a huge industry which employed hundreds of thousands of entertainers in its 100 year history. Seaside resorts would boast of 3, 4 or even 5 different troupes all vying with one another for the favour and attention of the holidaymakers. There were other attractions, of course, but between 1890 and 1930, there were over 500 professional troupes working the seaside.

The Pierrot concert part was the main way in which young entertainers broke into the profession - the industry was an apprenticeship, the Edinburgh Fringe, the stand-up club and indie pop chart of its day - the pierrot troupe was where young entertainers cut their teeth and looked for a big break and where old-stagers found their staple income in the Summer. The foreign holidays of the 50’s and the white heat of change and technology in the 60’s ended the heyday of the seasides and the dominance of the Pierrot troupes as training grounds for comedy, music and dance. Now, as we look towards the Millennium, the image of Pierrot in England is reduced to kitsch porcelain dolls on frilly dressing room tables and twee tearful clowns.