Second largest man in the world?

Yep, it's back to that Kilburn mural - one of the more impressive pieces of street art around.

A full insight into the mural and the project indeed can be found here http://www.signalproject.com/kilburn/

But this little pic capture the podium statue of one of Kilburn's legendary characters, William Thomas Ecclestone. He was famed for his cheer and his size and became quite simply 'Jolly Jumbo'.

He had previously been landlord of the Coach and Horses in Stonebridge before taking over the Canterbury Arms in Kilburn. Presumbly near Canterbury Road, just down from the currently Kilburn Park Tube station.

William died in 1915 and it is reported that it took 10 men to carry his coffin and the grave was the widest and deepest dug in the cemetery - he had had the distiction of being classified at the second largest man in the world at the time!

It is great that as someone so large he is credited with having introduced standard training exercises in the arms and was a trainer of running and boxing at his pubs.