Afternoon Tea at the Same Price as 143 years ago; One Shilling Six Pence

In 1865, The Langham in London, became one of the first grand hotels to ever serve afternoon tea. In celebration of this anniversary, on 10 June all Langham hotels worldwide will serve their signature afternoon tea at the same price it was enjoyed 143 years ago; one shilling six pence.

The Langham London claims that she was the first grand hotel to serve afternoon tea after an original hotel tariff dated 10 June 1865 was uncovered showing afternoon tea billed as ‘Teas, Plain’ consisting of simple but dainty items including cakes, sweets, bread and butter and, of course, tea. Other highly popular afternoon tea establishments such as The Ritz and Savoy were not in existence at this time.

The ritual of afternoon tea was created in 1840 by Anna Russell, 7th Duchess of Bedford, who served it to ward off hunger pangs in the long hours between lunch and dinner. Soon, her personal indulgence grew into an experience to be shared with her friends. As hostesses started to host afternoon tea events, a timeless luxury institution was born.

Afternoon tea can consist of a wide variety of enjoyable nibbles, with some hotels even offering luxuries such as caviar etc. More common would be petite scones, smoked salmon pinwheels, tomato, cucumber and egg sandwiches, chocolate-coated tuxedo-dressed strawberries, fresh fruit tartlets, lamingtons, English fruit cake, and spice cake accompanied by crème fraiche, strawberry preserve, butter, and of course, numerous varieties of tea and coffee.

Brett Butcher, senior vice president – sales and marketing of Langham Hotels International said, “In a world where we focus on coffee with heads buried into wi-fi connected laptops, The Langham is taking a step back in time to captivate the senses, restore the art of conversation and indulge in a timeless tradition which is about friends coming together for a genteel afternoon ritual.”

Today, Langham offers hotels in Auckland, Boston, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne and Pasadena.

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