Janie and I started our Fornum & Mason cultural evening earlier than most, by visiting the Royal Academy across the road in the late afternoon – click here or below:
As planned, we still had time to take our own look around Fortnum & Mason ahead of the Gresham Society event. We had been told that we were not getting the standard guided tour of the shop…
…thank goodness – I mean, who needs a guide to take you around a shop, especially if you have Janie with you?…
…so the opportunity to have a butchers at the store ahead of the special artefact session we had been promised, was a good idea.
Of course, being Gresham Society, Janie and I weren’t the only people to have that bright idea. We ran into several Gresham Societitians, not least Barbara Anderson, while exploring the delights of Fortnum and Mason, without a guide.
But our real purpose at Fortnum and Mason was to hear from the archivist, Dr Andrea Tanner and see some of the treasured artefacts she has gathered about the 300+ year old institution.
The Gresham connection is a little tenuous, but Fortnum & Mason have recently opened a branch in The Royal Exchange, which of course was founded by Sir Thomas Gresham.
While the direct connection might be tenuous, the international mercantile nature of both Gresham’s career and the commercial venture that is/became Fortnum & Mason, have some clear similarities.
We were honoured to be hosted in the Fortnum & Mason Board Room. We learnt that our visit was very much a one-off treat for The Gresham Society, as the regular “history tours” are more usually small groups on a shop tour. Such tours are most certainly not normally conducted during the run up to the festive season, so we were most firtunate and honoured to be thus welcomed.
The history of the store is very interesting. Much of the history can be gleaned from the Wikipedia entry – click here – amongst other sources.
Janie was especially interested to hear about the post-war history of the business, as she treated Garry Weston (the Wagon Wheel man, as well as the Fortnum & Mason man) & his wife, Mary Weston, for many years.
But in truth, the elements that most interested us and the Gresham folk gathered that afternoon, were the extraordinary historical artefacts that Andrea Tanner was able to show us. These pieces illustrated the history of the place to a far greater extent than the (still interesting) dates and anecdotes.
Janie snapped a fair smattering, but not all, of the pieces handed round and explained.
After the superb talk, artefact show and questions, we were each given a very jolly goody-bag, like we see at children’s parties these days…never would have happened in my childhood I might tell you. Tea and biscuits and vouchers in that goody bag – very nice.
Those of us brave or foolish enough to tackle the Fortnum & Mason wine bar prices, retired to the food hall wine bar for an hour or so, to enjoy excellent wines in superb Gresham Society company.
This was not the most intellectually stimulating Gresham Society trip ever, but it was extremely interesting and enjoyable.
We were genuinely privileged to be allowed such access to Fortnum & Mason at this time of year, so many thanks to Tim and Basil for organising the visit. The perfect hors d’oeuvres ahead of the repast that will be the Gresham Society soiree in a few week’s time.
More photos, including those from Janie’s and my earlier visit to the Royal Academy, can be seen in the Flickr album available by clicking here or on the photo link below.
