Synopses & Reviews
Profiles of more than fifty establishments that have supplied goods and services to royalty–and the merely discriminating–for more than one hundred years"A gentleman," Winston Churchill once observed, "buys his hats at Locks, his shoes at Lobbs, his shirts at Harvie and Hudson, his suits at Huntsman and his cheese at Paxton and Whitfield."
Luckily for the gentlemen–and gentlewomen–among us, all of these shops and dozens more are still in business, providing the traditional British goods and food that they've been supplying Londoners for a century or more. More than thirty venerable stores, along with another twenty or so eateries, are profiled in The Historic Shops and Restaurants of London.
"The most beautiful shop in the world . . ." is how Esquire magazine describes John Lobb, Bootmaker's opulent premises in Mayfair. Less grand, but no less quaint, is Paxton and Whitfield, now on Jermyn Street, which dates to 1742 when cheese monger Stephen Cullum sets up his stall in Clare Market. (Now the shop sells the most prized artisanal cheeses in Great Britain.) Have a drink at the long, narrow little Grapes Pub. Built in 1720, on the site of a previous pub, the Grapes was a working class tavern that Charles Dickens knew well. As a child, he was made to stand on a table and sing to the customers. As an adult, he immortalized it as the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters pub in Our Mutual Friend. These are only a few of the many of the establishments described that are holders of the Royal Warrant, dating back to the 15th century and still granted today to recognize excellence and quality.
Bespoke shirt-makers, hatters, haberdashers, perfumers, bookstores, chemists, an umbrella maker, and chocolatiers are only a few of the small specialist shops included, most of which are located in the most quaint and beautiful settings in London.
Also included are traditional restaurants and bars, ranging from picturesque pubs and "caffes" to fish'n'chips stands and eel-and-pie shops.
Synopsis
Updated in time for the Olympics in London: From historic half-timbered pubs opened in the 1600s, to button shops, tea merchants, hatters, and toyshops from the Georgian and Victorian periods and chic specialty shops opened in the twenty-first century, the establishments profiled in
The Traditional Shops & Restaurants of London embody the city's spirit and embrace its history and strong sense of tradition. The
revised guide profiles and updates the descriptions, directions, website addresses, and phone numbers of:
o more than 75 businesses including booksellers, home furnishing stores, clothiers, perfumers, umbrella shops, cheesemongers, and gourmet shops;
o more than 40 places to eat and drink, including fine restaurants, cafes, pubs, and the best places for eel, pie and mash and fish-and-chips
o the top historic street markets for food, antiques, bric-a-brac, and vintage clothes
And-a boon for armchair shoppers-the address, phone, tube stop, opening hours for each establishment, and websites for online shopping are included.
About the Author
Eugenia Bell is a freelance writer and editor of books on art, architecture, design, and travel. She is the author of
The Civilized Travellers Guide to Turin, also published by The Little Bookroom. After living in London for several years, she recently moved back to New York City.
Phil Nicholls has been a photographer for more than twenty years, working mainly in the music industry. He is currently working on a long-term project documenting the River Thames. He is the photographer of the book Savoir Fare London (The Little Bookroom) and Classic Cafes, written by Adrian Maddox (Black Dog Publishing, 2003).