Fortnum & Mason, Department store in City of Westminster, United Kingdom
Fortnum & Mason is a department store spread over six floors in the City of Westminster. The space houses sales floors for food, fashion, and homewares, along with several dining areas.
Hugh Mason and Charles Fortnum founded the business in the early 18th century as a small grocery shop. The firm expanded its offerings during the British colonial period and became known for shipping provisions to remote military outposts.
Several salons serve afternoon tea throughout the day with specialty leaf teas and freshly baked cakes. The tea culture shows in the shelves of hand-labeled tins and in the quiet way regular customers place their orders.
The entrance sits on a busy shopping street and the aisles spread across multiple levels with stairs and lifts. The food counters on the ground floor and the restaurants on upper floors welcome guests during standard retail hours.
The facade clock displays two life-size figures of the founders bowing to each other on the hour. This mechanical show draws passersby who pause on the pavement to watch the movement of the historical automata.
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