Afternoon Tea in Bloomsbury

For my dissertation I am doing a tearoom tour of London. The subject of my research is tea in the time of Virginia Woolf (one of the most respected and well-read modernist writers), whose life spanned the late Victorian period to the beginning of the Second World War, and whose work mainly focused on the city and its inhabitants, with historical events a casual backdrop often discussed between the characters over tea and cakes. Afternoon tea was a national institution, particularly for the upper classes who observed a myriad of intricate rules for its service. In my thesis I assert that the propensity in the modernist literary imagination for the tea table betrays a nostalgia for the certainty of Victorian hierarchical society, contrary to a popular belief that the modernists rejected anything traditional or established. My study reveals how even the most avante-garde and elite artists still enjoy a good cuppa.

While many things were changing for the better in the early twentieth century, such as vastly increased independence and rights for women, as well as the onset of capitalism sweeping away the dominance of the landed aristocracy, it is evident that there was a prevalent sense of identity crisis. With traditional gender and class structures waning, the renegotiation of social roles became frequent, and taking tea was one way in which to do this. During the nineteenth century, women were revered as the angels of the tea table who elegantly dispensed the rejuvenating drink to the hard-working men, the servants of empire. Slowly tea-time began to morph into a ubiquitous pastime that transcended class boundaries and became a staple of the day; that bastion in the bleak time between lunch and dinner.

In order to fully immerse myself in the real history of this intriguing social more, I am embarking upon a tour of London’s tearooms. My first stop was the Dorchester Hotel in Knightsbridge (http://www.thedorchester.com/, and featured as hosting the tennis players in the romcom, Wimbledon!), as a Christmas present from my boyfriend and a most luxurious afternoon. Unfortunately I shall not be reviewing that, but I will review afternoon tea at the Mercure hotel, Bloomsbury, London (pronunciation of which is still unknown, http://www.mercure.com/gb/united-kingdom/index.shtml), with one of my best friends.

            My expectations were naturally very high after a very expensive tea in a plush West end hotel, though not so distorted that it was unfair to say my experience in Bloomsbury (my favourite area of London, I might add, before I realised that only very wealthy people are allowed to live north of the river) was rather mediocre. I was particularly excited by the fact that this area of London is overtly associated with Woolf herself and her literary circle. However, apart from an extremely genial Chinese man who welcomed us into the hotel out of the summer rain, there was a lack of ceremony to a meal that is mainly about presentation and behaving traditionally. This means that the serving staff are polite but not too familiar (think the opposite end of the scale to TGI Friday’s, which is nonetheless an excellent chain of restaurants, and more along the lines of Café Rouge), formal enough without being pretentious. The waiter we had seemed a bit beleaguered and none too keen to wait on us after we handed over our Groupon, though I’m mystified as to why companies sign up to these schemes if they are resentful at honouring them! One reason for the chilled reception might have been the sight of us whipping out our notebooks as soon as we sat down, but at no point did we do anything socially unacceptable, and staff must remain professional at all times!