Classic British Shops

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Twinings

The oldest tea shop in London, nine feet wide, on the site Thomas Twining took in 1706.

Food & drinkTrading before 1900Royal Warrant

Photo by Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Also in Shopping.

Twining bought Tom's Coffee House on the Strand in 1706 and began selling dry tea over the counter, which no coffee house did. The shopfront of 1787 with its golden lion and two Chinese figures is the oldest in London still used by the business that built it.

The shop is a corridor rather than a room, with a small museum at the back and a counter for tasting. It is the same doorway Twining's customers used.

Where
216 Strand, WC2R 1AP
Nearest station
Temple · 3 min walk

Hours

Monday11:00 – 18:00
Tuesday11:00 – 18:00
Wednesday11:00 – 18:00
Thursday11:30 – 18:30
Friday11:00 – 18:00
Saturday11:00 – 18:00
Sunday11:00 – 18:00

Hours from the page that lists them, checked 11 September 2026.

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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