The walk will start outside the Royal Exchange. The Exchange was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth I, who gave the East India Company its exclusive Charter. Nearby is the Bank of England, who were their bankers.
The walk highlights Britain’s competitiveness in the global maritime race in the 15th and 16th centuries that led to the Charter being granted.
The next stop is Garraway’s Coffee House where tea was first served to the public in London in the 1660s. At the time, three groups were interested in tea: those believing it offered health benefits, those importing and selling it, and high society women, following the lead of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II, who enjoyed drinking tea.
The walk weaves through the City, stopping at warehouses, offices of the East India Company and other notable sites. There will be a short discussion on indentured labour and slavery.
The walk ends at St Katherine’s Docks. The dock was the finish line for the famous Tea Clipper race of 1867, that widely captured the imagination of the British public race.
Walk leader Ravi Savur grew up on a tea estate in Southern India. He has first-hand knowledge of the process of growing, harvesting and tasting tea.
2pm I 90mins I 18+
Tickets: £5
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