Maison Bertaux

Maison Bertaux is a French pâtisserie in Greek Street, Soho, London. The shop began in 1871, making it the oldest pâtisserie in London.

Tea served at Maison Bertaux, 2008

Maison Bertaux

Maison Bertaux was founded in 1871 by a French communard from Paris named Monsieur Bertaux.[1] It is situated at 28 Greek Street, Soho, London, next door to the Coach and Horses pub;[2] Maison Bertaux is the oldest pâtisserie shop in London.[3][4][5] It is no accident that the shop opened at this location for it was in the heart of the French community in London in the late 19th century. The historic French Protestant church is in nearby Soho Square, while the Catholic Notre Dame de France is in Leicester Place.[6]

Since 1988, the managers of Maison Bertaux are sisters Michelle and Tania Wade;[3][1] Michelle has been at the pâtisserie since she was 17 years old. When they started to manage the shop, the shop only served one type of tea; it now serves twenty varieties.[7] In 2000, the pâtisserie delivered a traditional wedding cake to a Birmingham wedding party.[2] The pâtisserie contains a piano with a copy of The Art of French Baking on top of it, and three of the mirrors in the shop contain the inscriptions Liberté, égalité, fraternité.[3][8] To celebrate Bastille Day, the shop creates a Tableau vivant.[9] The shop is situated near to the former location of Central Saint Martins art school,[lower-alpha 1] and also has an art gallery situated on the upper floor, which is run by Tania Wade.[4][7] In 2013, the gallery hosted an exhibition of Harry Hill's paintings of celebrities including Bruce Forsyth, Ken Livingstone and Anthea Turner.[11] The upper floor is also used as party venue with a capacity 20.[2]

Visitors to the pâtisserie have included Derek Jarman,[12] Steve McQueen, Howard Hodgkin, Grayson Perry, Nicole Kidman, Noel Fielding, Damon Albarn, Martin Freeman, John Hurt and Bob Geldof. The pâtisserie also made Lily Allen's wedding cake, and hosted Alexander McQueen's 25th birthday party.[4][7][13]

In 2020, Maison Bertaux set up a crowdfunding campaign to save the shop, after it was forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.[14]

Notes
  1. Central Saint Martins relocated to King's Cross in 2011.[10]

References
  1. Lawson, Sandra (9 December 2011). "Maison Bertaux French Patisserie". Weekend Notes. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  2. "A few exceedingly good pastries". London Evening Standard. 9 November 2000. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  3. Lander, Nicholas (6 December 2013). "Festive family treats". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  4. Beurteaux, Danielle (17 July 2014). "Classic confectionery: Europe's oldest pastry shops". CNN. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  5. Suggs, Lionel (September 2009). Suggs and the City: Journeys through Disappearing London. Hatchette UK. ISBN 9780755319275. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  6. Interview with the owner of Maison Bertaux in 'How has London inspired French artists?', 30 Oct. 2017 (Tate Britain): https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i/impressionism/how-has-london-inspired-french-artists
  7. Vaines, Colin (17 May 2014). "Soho stories: celebrating six decades of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll". The Observer. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  8. "London: Absolute Soho". The Daily Telegraph. 23 October 1999. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  9. Moggach, Tom (26 February 2015). "Maison Bertaux – a timeless slice of London in Greek Street". Camden Review. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  10. Needham, Alex (22 June 2011). "A change of scene for Central Saint Martins". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  11. Newman, Martin (27 January 2013). "TV comic Harry Hill's folk art paintings of celebrity on show in Soho". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  12. Horne, Peter; Lewis, Reina (9 September 2002). Outlooks : Lesbian and Gay Sexualities and Visual Cultures. Taylor & Francis Ebooks. p. 167. ISBN 9781134803088.
  13. O'Flaherty, Mark C. (24 September 2013). "London 1996: The greatest fashion show on Earth". Civilian Global. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  14. Aron, Isabelle (23 March 2020). "London's oldest French patisserie is crowdfunding to stay afloat". Londonist. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

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