The Traditional Shops & Restaurants of London: A Guide to Century-Old Establishments and New Classics - Softcover

Bell, Eugenia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1892145464 ISBN 13: 9781892145468

Publisher: Little Bookroom, 2007

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Eugenia F. Bell is a London-based freelance writer and editor of books on art, architecture, design, and travel. She has written for Artforum, ID, Interiors, and Lingua Franca. She is the author of The Civilized Traveller’s Guide to Turin, published by The Little Bookroom in 2006.

Review

"The Traditional Shops and Restaurants of London reminded me that it's been far too long since my last trip to England...This delightful little paperback-it can fit in your pocket if you have large pockets-takes you everywhere...A thoroughly intoxicating trip between covers." --Palm Beach Post

"This smart, compact guidebook tells the reader where to go to buy buttons, ale, umbrellas, shoes, badger-hair shaving brushes, even accordions. Bell demonstrates an impressive range of research." --The Pittsburgh Tribune

"It is a swell little book which will help you to find your own favorites on your next visit." --Greenwich Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Little Bookroom
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1892145464
• ISBN 13: 9781892145468
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304