Take a tour which uncovers the history of tea and how it shaped the world.

The story of tea for Britain is a global one. Tea drove one the first multinational companies - the infamous and famous East India Company - to strive for greater and greater profits. Tea sparked the American war of Independence (and 2023 was the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party). Tea was the backdrop to millions of Chinese people becoming opium addicts. Tea was medicinal, smuggled, doctored, and stolen. And tea lay at the heart of Britain’s empire where all roads in the tea story led back to London.

You’ll see the alley ways which held the first coffee houses which was also where tea was first served. You’ll see tea warehousing, the erstwhile premises of well-known brands, the sites of tea auctions and the shop where Davison and Newman supplied tea that went to Boston. You’ll hear about the tea clipper races and see where they finished their frenetic journeys. You’ll hear the story of tea as we go along.

Join a larger group (£20pp) or get a group together and book a private 2 hours 15 mins tour (£250 for up to 20 people). Starting underneath the black clock on No 1 Poultry (next to Mansion House) and finishing at St Katherine Docks.