Places to Go
Where can you go to find out about our national drink? ICONS has done the legwork for you!
Bramah Museum of Tea and Coffee
Where does tea come from? What makes one tea different from another? These questions and more are answered at the Bramah Museum, which is devoted entirely to the history of tea as well as coffee.
It's fitting that the museum is only a few minutes from London Bridge, because this is the area that was central to the capitals tea trade. Unloading clippers, tea blending, packing and marketing have all occurred close to the bridge for generations.
Lots of tales from the fascinating story of Englands tea heritage are explained with the help of maps, diagrams, engravings and artefacts from the history and practice of making the famous drink.
What's more, the ceremony of afternoon tea is kept alive in the museums authentic tea room where visitors can eat cakes to help pass the necessary five-minute wait for the tea leaves to infuse. Just don't mention tea bags...
Address: 40 Southwark Street
The Cutty Sark
During the mid-1800s, the major annual seafaring event was the “race of the tea clippers” from China back to the UK with the new season’s crop. The Cutty Sark’s sleek lines and huge sail made her one of the fastest ships in the world.
In the end, tea clippers lost out to steamships which could pass through the recently opened Suez Canal and deliver tea reliably. The Cutty Sark’s last cargo of tea was carried in 1877.
She is the most famous tea clipper built and the only remaining survivor. The Cutty Sark is now in dry dock in Greenwich and curious landlubbers can visit the ship for a tour of her decks.
Address: King William Walk, Greenwich
Twinings Teashop
This is the oldest teashop in the city, founded in 1706 by Thomas Twining who spotted that he would be onto a winner by selling an exotic drink from the Orient.
At the back of the shop there is a small museum which charts the history of the family, along with some examples of tea caddies and more unusual items from the world of tea. There is also a small tea library.
Address: 216 The Strand
Victoria & Albert Museum
Visitors can see some cracking teapots in the ceramics department, one of the cornerstones of the V&A. The collection includes some unusual examples, like the teapot from Yixing in China from about 1700 in the shape of a bamboo Chinese wind instrument (which represented growing or giving birth). We have these strange-looking early teapots to thank for all the novelty pots that are available today.
And if you’ve ever wondered how lots of teapots can be stored without breaking off their spouts or handles, Robert Johnson had the answer. In 1922 he designed a cube-shaped teapot that could be easily stacked when catering for lots of people. In its heyday it was used on cruise ships, railways and in hotel and restaurant chains. Although it was only meant to be practical, the cube teapot has ended up as a bit of a design classic.
Address: Cromwell Road, South Kensington
