Whittard of Chelsea

Whittard Today

2011 marks our 125th anniversary and we are immensely proud of our history. As we celebrate 125 years of fine tea, coffees of character and luxurious hot chocolate, we sincerely thank all our customers for their loyalty and support.

Since our humble beginnings in 1886 we have retained Walter Whittard’s philosophy of ‘buying the best’. From one little shop on Fleet Street we have grown into an international business that stocks wonderful products from across the world

• We have 130 varieties of tea online and in store, and still blend our own teas and infusions, just as Walter did.
• We remain one of the only purveyors on the high street who will grind freshly roasted coffee beans to your specifications.
• We now have over 20 varieties of luxurious hot chocolate, tempting chocolate lovers with everything from White Chocolate and Strawberry to Chilli.
• To complement our drinks, we sell extensive ranges of china, as well as equipment and glassware and our staff are always on hand to answer questions.

The Early Days from 1886-1890

Walter Henry Whittard was born in 1861 in South London. His family were wealthy leather merchants who had factories in the thriving tannery districts of Bermondsey. Walter, who had been educated at Kings College School, had no intention of joining the family business and after a serious falling out with his father, he left to pursue the trade and importing of tea.

He spent five years as an apprentice before joining one of the largest importers of China tea. In 1886, at the age of 25, he decided he was ready to start his own company. Walter’s first shop was on the bustling thoroughfare of Fleet Street, below the well-known Anderton’s Hotel. He was neighbours to a wine merchant and a coffee house and his smart little shop, full of gleaming caddies and brass scales was a great addition to the street.

Walter had an eye for business. He discovered there was a market for coffee and cocoa as well as tea and started transforming these everyday beverages into luxurious items, through beautiful packaging and storytelling. After securing a contract to supply Anderton’s Hotel, he sent out circulars to other hotels, schools and caterers and soon had a thriving business known in London and beyond. In 1890 he moved the offices to 21 Mincing Lane, just down the road from the mighty London Commercial Salerooms where the tea auctions were held.

For Walter, his move to the so-called ‘street of tea’ signified the coming-of-age of the business. Having this address on the firm’s letterhead gave him a gravitas in the tea trade. 

Blending Passion and Expertise from 1890-1930

Right from the start, Walter understood the need to tailor products to his customers. Throughout the decades this has become a core value of our business. From the windows of his first shop, Walter watched the be-wigged occupants of the Inns of Court come and go and to tempt them in he created a blend of tea that he named ‘Barristers Refresher’.

‘Opportunity Tea’ was advertised across the country in the early 1930s.This was a difficult time to be selling tea, coffee and cocoa. The fluctuation of tea prices was particularly problematic. Customers would not buy cheap tea as they presumed it to be of a low quality. Calling a blend ‘Opportunity’ cleverly captured the spirit of the time, reassuring people of the quality of the product and marketing a sense of hope in an otherwise bleak era. In fact, this tea did so well that an entire extra floor of the warehouse was dedicated to ‘Opportunity’ to cope with demand.

British Spirit Triumphs from 1930-Present

The Second World War was a very difficult time, but the business proved its resilience, and customers remained loyal. Walter died in 1935. His sons Hugh and Dick Whittard had taken over the business by this time and were coping well with the upheaval of the country's descent into conflict. Hugh was the first apprentice, Dick joined the firm in the 1930s.

In June 1940 both brothers were called to join the army leaving a skeleton staff to run the business in increasingly chaotic conditions. That September the main warehouse roof was blown off and all the windows smashed. In October the second warehouse was hit and all 158 chests of tea were lost. Then came the 'Great Fire Raid' of 29th December. The main warehouse suffered a direct hit and was completely destroyed. Everything was lost.

With true resilient spirit, Hugh and Dick immediately went about finding a way to keep their customers in tea, coffee and cocoa, and secure new premises. They moved to a building in Fulham Road, this was supposed to be temporary, but soon they became very settled in Chelsea.

In the late 1960s Hugh was killed in a train crash, leaving his brother Dick as the last remaining family member. Dick sold the business in the 1970s, but not before taking on an apprentice of his own, Giles Hilton. Giles spent five years learning every aspect of the trade and helped to keep the high quality of the products and the spirit of the brand as Whittard began to grow. Through the 80s and 90s Whittard expanded massively across the UK and internationally, and became a household name synonymous with quality products and subsequently china, equipment and gifts.

Throughout the ups and downs of 125 years of history one thing has remained constant, the loyalty of our customers, both in trade and retail. Customers tell us that their parents, grandparents and even great grandparents would buy a certain tea or coffee from us and they continue the tradition to this day.