Maison Bertaux, Soho, London (3104693962)

Maison Bertaux is a French

pâtisserie A () is a type of Italian, French or Belgian bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets, as well as a term for such food items. In some countries, it is a legally controlled title that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed ...

Greek Street Greek Street is a street in Soho, London, leading south from Soho Square to Shaftesbury Avenue. The street is famous for its restaurants and cosmopolitan nature. History It is thought to take its name from a Greek church that was built in ...

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

, London. The shop began in 1871, making it the oldest pâtisserie in London.

Maison Bertaux

Maison Bertaux was founded in 1871 by a French

communard The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards ...

from Paris named Monsieur Bertaux. It is situated at 28

, London, next door to the Coach and Horses pub; Maison Bertaux is the oldest

shop in London. 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 Soho Square is a garden square in Soho, London, hosting since 1954 a ''de facto'' public park let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council. It was originally called King Square after Charles II, and a much weathered ...

, while the Catholic

Notre Dame de France Notre Dame de France is a French Catholic church in London's Soho. It is located on Leicester Place just north of Leicester Square. History The origins of the church date back to the mid 1800s, however, the building itself is older. In 1861, ...

is in Leicester Place. Since 1988, the managers of Maison Bertaux are sisters Michele and Tania Wade; Michele 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. In 2000, the pâtisserie delivered a traditional wedding cake to a Birmingham wedding party. 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 ''Liberté, égalité, fraternité'' (), French for "liberty, equality, fraternity", is the national motto of France and the Republic of Haiti, and is an example of a tripartite motto. Although it finds its origins in the French Revolution, i ...

. To celebrate

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

, the shop creates a ''

Tableau vivant A (; often shortened to ; plural: ), French for "living picture", is a static scene containing one or more actors or models. They are stationary and silent, usually in costume, carefully posed, with props and/or scenery, and may be theatrica ...

''. The shop is situated near to the former location of

Central Saint Martins Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...

art school, and also has an art gallery situated on the upper floor, which is run by Tania Wade. In 2013, the gallery hosted an exhibition of

Harry Hill Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performan ...

's paintings of celebrities including

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series '' Sunday Nig ...

, Ken Livingstone and

Anthea Turner Anthea Turner (born 25 May 1960) is an English former television presenter. She was a host of ''Blue Peter'' from 1992 until 1994, and of ''GMTV'' from 1994 until 1996. Early life Turner was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and educated ...

. The upper floor is also used as party venue with a capacity 20. Visitors to the pâtisserie have included

Derek Jarman Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist. Biography Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...

, Steve McQueen,

Howard Hodgkin Sir Gordon Howard Eliott Hodgkin (6 August 1932 – 9 March 2017) was a British painter and printmaker. His work is most often associated with abstraction. Early life Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkin was born on 6 August 1932 in Hammersmith, ...

, Grayson Perry,

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

, Noel Fielding, Damon Albarn, Martin Freeman, John Hurt and Bob Geldof. The pâtisserie also made

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...

's wedding cake, and hosted

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashio ...

's 25th birthday party. In 2020, Maison Bertaux set up a crowdfunding campaign to save the shop, after it was forced to close due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 51.51332, -0.13025, display=title 1871 establishments in England Food and drink companies established in 1871 Pâtisserie Shops in London Coffeehouses and cafés in London Soho, London Greek Street