Ten Stories And Secrets Of Fortnum And Mason

Fortnum & Mason is one of London’s most iconic shops. But, where did it all begin and what secrets does the building hold? 

1. Candle Stubs And Royal Connections

Fortnum & Mason was established in 1707, the same year of the Act of Union was passed, uniting Scotland and England to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.

William Fortnum was a footman in the household of Queen Anne. The story goes that he would be in charge of replacing any half-burnt candles. He would then pocket the stubs and started selling them on the side. 

He partnered up with his landlord Hugh Mason, who ran a small store on the ground floor of the building where they lived in St James’s Market. The business was a great success and soon expanded into tea, exotic groceries and other luxury items. The business moved to its current location on bustling Piccadilly in 1757. 

Around the building you will also see their Royal Warrants, showing they are suppliers to the Royal Household. They received their most recent ones from King Charles and Queen Camilla in 2024.

Their first Royal Warrant was granted in 1898 by Queen Victoria, for Fortnum’s services as ‘Oilmen’ to The Royal Household. 

The first 18th century building was almost entirely knocked down in the 1830s and rebuilt. The instantly recognisable shop that we see today at 181–184 Piccadilly was rebuilt between 1926 and 1927 to a Neo-Georgian design by the architects Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie. 

The blue-green colour is called Eau de Nil (Water of the Nile) and has been the signature colour of Fortnums since the 1840s. 

2. The Invention Of A Classic British Snack

Piccadilly has historically been the main route out of London to the West and in the 18th century would have been pretty much on the Western edge of the metropolis, giving way to fields and marshland. 

They therefore specialised in goods suitable for those on the move. They claim to have invented the Scotch Egg for example!

In 1738 a hard-boiled egg was wrapped in sausage meat and coated in fried breadcrumbs. It was possibly inspired by an Indian dish called nargisi kofta, a hard-boiled egg encased in minced meat, fried and served in a gravy. The recipe could have been brought back to Britain by employees of the East India Company.

It was also originally called a ‘Scotched Egg’, which is an old verb for mincing meat with anchovies. 

3. Their Iconic Hampers

They also developed their hampers for travellers, something they are still famous for today. Their hampers were not just acquired by customers preparing to travel out of London, they were also sent all over the world. In The Crimean War, Queen Victoria took a keen personal interest and sent Fortnums an order “to dispatch without delay” a consignment of concentrated beef tea to Florence Nightingale for her patients. It was the first war to be covered by on the spot reporters and so those at home were, for the first time, aware of the terrible conditions at the front. 

Some lucky soldiers in Wellington’s army received Fortnums supplies whilst preparing to fight Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. During World War One you could have ‘Supply’ hampers sent to the trenches. For example, a ‘Thirty Shilling Xmas Box’ could be sent in 1917 and would arrive for Christmas Day as long as it was ordered by 14th December. It contained real turtle soup, roast goose, brandy sauce and cherries in brandy. In 1915, the shop sent 500 Christmas puddings to the South Staffordshire Regiment in Gallipoli. 

60 tins of quail in foie gras and four dozen bottles of champagne were supplied in hampers to the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition. Sir John Franklin took Fortnum & Mason hampers on his doomed 1845 mission to find the North West Passage. 

4. The Egyptian Controversy

Fortnum & Mason also supplied the expedition that led to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, led by Howard Carter in 1922.

In 1923, Howard Carter returned to England. The Egyptian Antiquities Service found an unlabelled beautiful sculpture of the head of the child represented as the diety Aten, wrapped up and protected in a Fortnum & Mason wine box. Carter’s explanation was that not every piece had been indexed and the piece was too fragile to be moved, but it was the start of rumours that Howard Carter had plundered treasures for himself.

5. The First Heinz Baked Beans

From the middle of the 19th century Fortnums had been a leading supplier of tinned goods. In 1886, a budding entrepreneur from the USA called H.J. Heinz brought five cases of baked beans to Fortnum and Mason. Confident they would sell, they purchased the lot, making them the first shop to stock them. Initially, baked beans were seen as more of a luxury item, but later became the British staple they are today. 

6. Two hidden Figures

The clock on the front of the building was installed in 1964, designed by Berkeley Sutcliffe. It contains 18 bells created at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, who also cast Big Ben in 1858 and the Liberty Bell in 1752.

Two figures representing founders William Fortnum and Hugh Mason are generally hidden behind the doors either side. Every hour however they come out and meet in the middle, accompanied by a little tune from the bells.

Below them, missed by many, is a bronze sculpture called King and Queen by Lynn Chadwick, dating from 1990. 

7. The ‘Crypt’

Tucked below the building is a strange room, known as ‘the crypt’. You feel as if you have left Fortnums and stumbled into a medieval castle.

It is thought to be the only surviving part of the 18th century building. Up until 1925 it was actually a separate business and was occupied by a wine merchant. The unusual decor was mostly inherited from that previous business and no-one knows why it is decorated in this unusual way with its stained glass windows, old stone walls and wood panelling. Since the 1920s it has been used for dining and wine tastings. 

The window is thought to be made from broken bits of stained glass from Zeppelin air raids in World War One. The tasting station is adapted from a purser’s station from a 17th century warship. 

8. The Original Jukebox

On the third floor you will find a couple of overlooked but fascinating items. Firstly you can find this, a Polyphon, purchased by Fortnum & Mason back in 2014.

It dates from the 1890s and was likely created in Leipzig, Germany, by the Polyphon Musikwerke Company. Polyphons were popular until the 1910s when Gramophones took over. It plays tunes from the large metal discs contained below glass screen. Ask a member of staff nicely and they will be happy to put one in and wind it up for you. A hand-wound motor rotates the disc and then pins on the surface pluck the teeth of one or two metal combs, which vibrate to produce sound.

On the front is says ‘Altona, Adolfstrass’. It was likely therefore displayed in a public place in Altona, Hamburg for a period. Adolfstrass was renamed after World War Two to Bernstorffstrasse. 

9. The King’s Billiard Table 

You can also see this, the Royal Billiard Table, dating from the 1920s. Items like this, would have been sold in Fortnums in the early 20th century and were supposedly portable, although it still looks pretty hefty to me! 

This one specifically is thought to have been purchased by Prince Edward, future King Edward VIII, in 1920 to keep him amused on a global Royal tour culminating in visits to Australia and New Zealand.

10. The New Double Helix Staircase

The newest update to Fortnum and Mason is the beautiful double helix staircase. Opened in November 2025, it features two separate spiralling staircases that intertwine without crossing.

It was created by a team of master craftspeople in Sussex over two years, built from Portuguese Moleanus limestone and designed to last for centuries. The staircase now links the ground floor to the second floor, improving the flow of customers during busy periods.

Fortnum and Mason run a couple of guided tours a month called their Delicious History tours. They last for 90 minutes and include tastings. Click here for their Eventbrite page to find out more!

Thank you for reading, more of London’s fascinating historic spots below.