This webpage contains affiliate links. We may earn commissions for purchases made through affiliate links in this webpage. For more information, please read our Affiliate Disclaimer Policy.
Fortnum & Mason
Like all great exercises in creation, Fortnum & Mason began with light. The insistence of Queen Anne's household on fresh candles every night spelled a legitimate perk for an enterprising footman: spare palace wax to sell on. By 1707, William Fortnum's enlightened sideline had melted down into enough to leave royal service and start a business with his landlord Hugh Mason. The rest, as they say, is grocery.