A Visit To London’s Oldest Cheese Shop, Oldest Pharmacy And The King’s Tailors

I recently spent a fascinating morning paying a visit to London’s oldest cheese shop, oldest pharmacy and the tailors to the King.

They are all within a few minutes walk of each other in St James’s and they have something else in common: a Royal Warrant.

There is something pretty remarkable about St James’s. It has one of the greatest concentrations of historic businesses anywhere in Britain. For centuries, cheesemongers, hatters, wine merchants, gunmakers and shirtmakers have quietly plied their trades here. Many are still doing exactly what they were established to do hundreds of years ago, and some are even run by descendants of the same families. It is that continuity, and, if you chat to them, the pride these businesses clearly take in their craft, that makes the area so special I think.

What Is A Royal Warrant?

A Royal Warrant is given by a member of the Royal Family authorised to grant them to a business as a mark of recognition that they provide them with goods or services. Currently the King, the Queen and Prince William and Princess Catherine can grant Royal Warrants. 

The business must have supplied the relevant household for five consecutive years. The Royal Warrant is then reviewed every five years. I have written previously about Lock and Co Hatters who have a Royal Warrant from King Charles and previously held one for Prince Philip. Fortnum and Mason has had a Royal Warrant since Queen Victoria granted them one back in 1898. Today they hold Royal Warrants from both the King and the Queen. 

Royal Warrants are usually displayed with the coat of arms of the grantor and the business can also use the ‘By Appointment to…’ legend on their shopfronts, stationery and products. 

St James’s has the highest concentration of Royal Warrants in London, while Jermyn Street is thought to have more than any other street in Britain

Paxton and Whitfield 

With origins dating back to 1742, Paxton & Whitfield on Jermyn Street is London’s oldest cheese shop.

The business began when Stephen Cullum established a cheese stall at Clare Market near Aldwych. In 1797, his son Sam moved the business to Swallow Street in the increasingly fashionable West End. During the early nineteenth century, the firm came under the ownership of Harry Paxton and Charles Whitfield, giving the business the name it still bears today.

The Swallow Street site had to shut in 1835 for the construction of Regent Street and the business moved to 18 Jermyn Street. In 1894 they moved to 93 Jermyn Street where they have been ever since.

During World War Two they had to switch to becoming more of a general grocery shop due to wartime rationing and lack of men to work on the farms. 

They received their first Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1850 and have held Royal Warrants ever since from consecutive monarchs.

Today the business is owned by Andrew Brownsword, an entrepreneur who sold his greeting cards business to Hallmark Cards for around £195 million and today is the owner and chairman of Andrew Brownsword Hotels. You can visit their website here.

D.R. Harris

D.R. Harris on St James’s Street was established back in 1790, making it London’s oldest surviving pharmacy. 

The business was founded by cousins Henry Harris, a surgeon and Daniel Rotely (D. R.), an early Pharmaceutical Chemist. 

They originally carried out minor surgical procedures, prepared medicines and, as something of a sideline, began blending their own colognes and toilet waters. Located in the heart of St James’s Clubland, they were perfectly placed to serve the area’s gentlemen’s clubs, aristocratic households and affluent clientele.

Although the business has occupied several premises nearby over the years, it moved to its current home at 29 St James’s Street in 1963. Remarkably, it is still run by descendants of the founding family today.

They were first awarded a Royal Warrant in 1938 by Queen Elizabeth, wife of George VI, later known as the Queen Mother. Today they hold Royal Warrants as chemists to both King Charles and Queen Camilla.

You can find out more on their website here.

Turnbull & Asser 

Turnbull & Asser have been proudly plying their trade on Jermyn Street since 1903. The company has its origins as a hosiery and shirt shop at 3 Church Place in St James’s, founded by John Arthur Turnbull. 

In 1893, Ernest Asser joined the business. Following Turnbull’s death, he took over the company and gave it the name Turnbull & Asser.

They moved to their present premises in 1903 and, remarkably, much of the shop still looks much as it did over 120 years ago, complete with its original mahogany counters and wood panelling.

Hanging above the staircase is the company’s original Royal Warrant, granted by Queen Alexandra in the early twentieth century for whom they made bespoke gloves. In 1980, the then Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) granted the company a Royal Warrant, which was renewed following his accession.

What Else To Look Out For

Follow the stairs down to their lower ground floor and you will find a number of interesting items. They have the original green velvet siren suit or ‘romper suit’ that they designed for Winston Churchill.

He would wear these throughout air raids, on visits to the White House and on other official duties. There are only three original Churchill siren suits that are known to survive, another being in the collection of the Churchill War Rooms. This one, being made of the rather impractical green velvet, was probably designed more as a leisure version- an all-in-one smoking jacket if you will. 

The Bond Connection

They also have a cabinet of items related to their links with the James Bond franchise. Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels was a regular customer and they helped shape many of the iconic Bond looks in the film franchise. Sean Connery’s famous blue cotton shirt with turn-back “cocktail cuffs” was created by Turnbull & Asser.

The company also supplied many of the shirts and ties worn by Pierce Brosnan’s Bond, as well as the evening dress shirt and bow tie worn by Daniel Craig during the high-stakes poker scenes in Casino Royale. Their Bond ties are still among Turnbull & Asser’s bestselling products. I wrote recently about other Bond connections to the area here.

I also had a little peek into their bespoke department, which has a separate entrance on Bury Street. Here they have more hints to famous past customers. For example, on the wall are framed cutting patterns for Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier and President Ronald Reagan. 

Find out more about Turnbull & Asser on their website here.

It is always a pleasure walking the streets of St James’s and particularly speaking with those that work in the shops. Walking between businesses such as the three above reminds me why I love London so much. History is not just preserved behind glass, it is part of everyday life and traditions carried forward by new generations.

Thank you for reading, more historic location covered in the blog posts below!