Tired of London, Tired of Life - A website about things to do in London

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16 June 2009

Visit the Twinings Tea Shop

Thomas Twining opened his tea shop at 216 the Strand in 1717, and it still remains on the same site nearly 300 years later.


Back in the day tea was big business. By 1825, the family had amassed so much money from the tea business they opened a banking branch, Twinings Bank, and in 1838 they opened a new banking house beside the shop at 215 The Strand, to keep all their money in. Just a year later Queen Victoria got on board, granting Twinings a Royal Warrant for their tea, and the right to supply it to her personally.

Today, whilst the bank is gone, the brand and the shop are still going strong with the shop acting as a testament to its longevity and the ongoing British love of tea.

The website boasts that there’s also a small museum at the back of the shop where you can learn about the Twinings family and the world of tea, though it must be particularly small as your author missed it altogether on his visit. Time Out also tells us that free tea tasting sessions lasting for an hour and a half are available by appointment.

The shop is open Monday - Friday, 9am til 5pm, and Saturdays from 10am til 4pm. For more information, visit http://www.twinings.co.uk/footer/our-shop/.

Click here to see the location on a map.

1 comment:

  1. Another Gloucestershire Lad made his fortune in London then!

    ReplyDelete