TRUE BRITISH HERITAGE

Thomas Twining bought Tom's Coffee House on London's Strand in 1706. The location of the shop was perfect as it straddled the border between Westminster and the City of London, an area that was newly populated with the finest of London’s aristocracy as a result of the Great Fire of London.

By this time Coffee houses were a popular feature of London life. Men - but never women - of all classes would gather there to drink, gossip and to do business.