Yes — Fortnum's is a working shop, free to browse. Afternoon tea and restaurants are ticketed.

Is the clock really the famous mechanical clock?

Yes — the clock above the Piccadilly entrance strikes every hour between 09:00 and 23:00, with four-foot figures of the founders emerging. It was installed in 1964.

Can I afford Fortnum's?

Tea boxes from £6, biscuits from £8, hampers from £45. The store welcomes browsing without pressure to buy.

Do they deliver internationally?

Yes — Fortnum's ships hampers to over 60 countries. Royal Mail and DHL handle international orders.

London

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Fortnum & Mason

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London: Fortnum & Mason

1-2 hours

Piccadilly

Wheelchair Accessibility:

Yes

Operating Hours:Monday - Saturday: 10:00 - 20:00. Sunday: 11:30 - 18:00

The Vibe:Royal grocer since 1707 — tea, hampers, and a clock show.

William Fortnum, a footman in Queen Anne's household, began selling surplus candle wax in 1707. Three centuries later, his store on Piccadilly holds Royal Warrants from both King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, and remains the world's most famous grocery emporium for tea, hampers and preserves.
The iconic eau-de-nil blue façade announces itself; inside, tea counters climb to the high ceilings. Wicker hampers stack in architectural towers; the famous mechanical clock strikes the hour with four-foot Fortnum and Mason figures emerging and bowing.

• Founded 1707 — one of Britain's oldest grocery businesses
• Holds Royal Warrants from both King Charles III and the late Queen Elizabeth II
• Famous for picnic hampers, exotic tea blends and Christmas luxury
• The mechanical clock above the Piccadilly entrance is a London landmark

Fit For

👨‍👩‍👧 Families: Children love the mechanical clock (strikes every hour)
💕 Couples: Afternoon tea at The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon
👵 Seniors: Full step-free access; tea-focused experience suits all
📸 Photographers: Eau-de-nil façade, mechanical clock, and hampers

Highlights

Tea Counter — over 150 varieties, blended for customers since 1707
Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon — afternoon tea with royal warrant pedigree
Mechanical Clock — 4-foot Fortnum and Mason figures strike the hour
Wicker hampers — signature gift collections for occasion and season
Preserves and pastries — handmade, packaged in iconic eau-de-nil tins
Hampers Department — custom-built for royalty, picnickers and celebrations — Hidden Gem

London Local Expert

Sarah Riches

Overview

Persona Fit

Highlights

Plan Your Visit (FAQ’s)

Things To Do Nearby

TJ's Guide

Know Your Facts

Once You Reach

Similar Options

Plan Your Visit

Things To Do Nearby

Royal Academy of Arts — cultural institution, immediately adjacent

Burlington Arcade — covered Georgian shopping lane, three minutes east

St James's Church Piccadilly — Wren's parish church, two minutes east

Green Park — royal park, two minutes west

Royal Academy of Arts — cultural institution, immediately adjacent

Burlington Arcade — covered Georgian shopping lane, three minutes east

St James's Church Piccadilly — Wren's parish church, two minutes east

Green Park — royal park, two minutes west

TJ's Guide - Fortnum & Mason

Know Before You Go

Insider Tips

Best Time: Weekday afternoons for browsing; book afternoon tea weeks ahead

Hack: The mechanical clock strikes every hour — time your visit for the show

Hidden Gem: The Parlour Restaurant on the first floor is less busy than the Jubilee Tea Salon

Christmas window displays are a London tradition — arrive early December

45 Jermyn Street, Fortnum's restaurant, is open without Fortnum ticket required

Best Time: Weekday afternoons for browsing; book afternoon tea weeks ahead

Hack: The mechanical clock strikes every hour — time your visit for the show

Hidden Gem: The Parlour Restaurant on the first floor is less busy than the Jubilee Tea Salon

Christmas window displays are a London tradition — arrive early December

45 Jermyn Street, Fortnum's restaurant, is open without Fortnum ticket required

Know Your Facts

Getting There & Entrances

Amenities

Closest Tube: Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria) or Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo, Piccadilly), both three minutes
Main entrance: 181 Piccadilly — the eau-de-nil façade
Bus: 9, 14, 19, 22, 38 along Piccadilly
First-time tip: Arrive at :55 past the hour to catch the mechanical clock's strike

Once You Reach

Internal Navigation

Five floors: Ground (tea, biscuits, preserves), First (hampers, Parlour), Second (wine, cheese), Third (shoes, gifts), Fourth (homeware)

Tea counter on Ground Floor is the centrepiece

Venue map: Free at main entrance

Accessibility: Lifts to all floors; step-free throughout

Efficient route: Ground floor tea and preserves, First floor Parlour for afternoon tea

Food & Coffee Shops

Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon: Formal afternoon tea, advance booking

Parlour Restaurant (first floor): Less formal, ice cream parfaits

45 Jermyn Street (adjacent): Fine dining in Fortnum's sister restaurant

Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon: Formal afternoon tea, advance booking

Parlour Restaurant (first floor): Less formal, ice cream parfaits

45 Jermyn Street (adjacent): Fine dining in Fortnum's sister restaurant

Photography Tips

Photography welcomed in public areas; tripods discouraged

Eau-de-nil façade photographs best on overcast days — avoids blowing out the pale colour

Mechanical clock is best shot as a sequence as figures emerge

Interior tea counter and hamper displays work with soft side-light

Photography welcomed in public areas; tripods discouraged

Eau-de-nil façade photographs best on overcast days — avoids blowing out the pale colour

Mechanical clock is best shot as a sequence as figures emerge

Interior tea counter and hamper displays work with soft side-light

Explore Deeper

William Fortnum was a footman in Queen Anne's household who collected and resold the half-used candle wax from royal apartments. In 1707 he partnered with his landlord Hugh Mason to open a grocery at 181 Piccadilly. The store has operated continuously from the same site for over 315 years.

Fortnum's developed the concept of the portable luxury picnic hamper for Queen Victoria's country house parties in the mid-19th century; hamper design has remained essentially unchanged since

The store sent hampers to British soldiers in Crimea (1854), India (1857) and both World Wars; hampers delivered to the officer corps at Ypres included Christmas puddings and champagne

The mechanical clock was installed in 1964 to mark 'modernisation' — ironic given its Victorian-style figures; it became one of London's landmark mechanical objects

Fortnum's invented the Scotch egg in 1738 to create a portable luxury picnic food for journeys on the newly built turnpike roads

Fortnum's developed the concept of the portable luxury picnic hamper for Queen Victoria's country house parties in the mid-19th century; hamper design has remained essentially unchanged since

The store sent hampers to British soldiers in Crimea (1854), India (1857) and both World Wars; hampers delivered to the officer corps at Ypres included Christmas puddings and champagne

The mechanical clock was installed in 1964 to mark 'modernisation' — ironic given its Victorian-style figures; it became one of London's landmark mechanical objects

Fortnum's invented the Scotch egg in 1738 to create a portable luxury picnic food for journeys on the newly built turnpike roads

Did You Know?

Scotch egg invention — Fortnum's 1738 recipe is the documented origin of the dish

Tea dynasty — Fortnum's is Britain's oldest tea merchant, with dozens of signature blends

Royal warrants — Dual warrants from King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, extremely rare

Wartime hampers — Fortnum's sent hampers to troops in both World Wars

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London: Fortnum & Mason

Fit For