Lyons Corner Houses

Whenever one of us kids was being a bit ‘demanding’ at teatime, and mum was feeling particularly harassed, one of her favourite refrains was: “What do you think this is, Lyons Corner House?” I also have vague recollections of being taken by my sister to the one near Marble Arch after shopping – that would have been in the late Sixties or early Seventies – but what it was like and what we ate/drank there is lost in the mists of my memory….

The expansion of London’s economy during the inter-war years meant a growth in the number of white-collar workers in the city. With that came an increased demand for modestly-priced restaurants, most famously the Joe Lyons chain of tea shops and Corner Houses, which soon gained a reputation for providing “a genteel oasis for the typist or clerk at lunchtime, and for the cinema-goer at night”. By the 1920s, Lyons had 250 teashops nationally and its three London Corner Houses could seat up to 3,000 people.

First Corner House, Coventry Street

Before Lyons came along, the only choice available for eating out was either a gentleman’s club or, at the other end of the scale, a pub or chophouse. None of these options was suitable for women! Founded by the tobacconist’s Salmon & Gluckstein, the chain took the name Joe Lyons when it became a public company in 1894. The first teashop was established that year at 213 Piccadilly. The tea shops were notable for their interior design and always had a bakery counter at the front. Their signs, Art Nouveau lettering on a white background, soon became a familiar London sight.

The plusher, art deco-style ‘Corner Houses’ – three of them in the West End - were the flagship of the Lyons brand. The first opened in 1909 on the corner of Coventry Street and Rupert Street, with a second (now sadly demolished) opening in the Strand in 1915. A third followed in Tottenham Court Road. Vast premises with food served on four or five floors, each branch employed around 400 staff. For a time the Coventry Street Corner House was open 24 hours a day.

A regular visitor recalls the experience: “I can remember being taken there as a child by my parents for 'special' occasions, birthdays etc. There was an orchestra there, 'squeaky violins' as my brother called it, which played Happy Birthday if they were tipped the wink and a small cake with a single candle would be delivered ceremoniously to your table. I had my first experience of Minestrone soup there. I seem to remember there was also a Lyons at Hyde Park Corner (I think it was where Pizza on the Park is now). I always had a fruit bun. Oh, I can taste it now. And smell the place - that strangely British smell of a slightly fuggy tea room. Steamy windows, the smell of tea and the mix of cakes, buns and things on toast”.

In addition to the Corner Houses, London also boasted two ‘Maison Lyons’ – at Marble Arch and


Maison Lyons, Marble Arch 

Shaftesbury Avenue. These were virtually identical to Corner Houses (but under a different management structure) and were the ‘poshest’ of all the restaurants, only one step down from Claridges and the Savoy. They were highly ornate and featured giant fake palms for maximum exotic effect! They, like the three Corner Houses, operated on four or five floors with a different price range for each. Contemporary accounts describe the second floor as the cheapest – with omelettes available for just a shilling. The ground floor was always a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and other products. In addition, they had hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and, at one period, a twice-a-day food delivery service.

But of course Lyons’ restaurants didn’t just provide Londoners on modest incomes with the chance to enjoy cheap but wholesome food in attractive surroundings, often to an accompaniment of live music. They also spawned a national institution - the ‘Nippies’. In 1924, the Lyons company decided to update its image and modernise its waitresses’ uniforms. In came the alpaca dress, complete with characteristic double row of pearl buttons, and starched cap with a large red ‘L’ embroidered on the front. The Lyons’ girls were selected on deportment, the condition of their hands (!), and their personality. The uniforms were even made in children’s sizes so that little girls could dress up and aspire to be Nippies themselves!

 

Coventry Street Corner House as a Wimpy franchise in 1968

During the inter-war years, all Lyons’ institutions were a huge success - in 1931, a total of 160 million meals were served in their restaurants, Corner Houses and teashops.

But as the decade progressed, reductions in the average working day reduced the need for breakfasts and teas for office workers and more firms started providing food in their own canteens. After the war, most teashops converted to cafeteria service. Soon Lyons embarked on a new venture - Steak Houses, followed by Wimpy Bars. Gradually, however, changing eating habits changed again. Eating at table was replaced by fast food eaten ‘on the hoof’ and this led to the final demise of the  Lyons Corner House.


References:

The Making of Modern London 1914-39 by G. Weightman and S. Humphries (1984)

London – The Illustrated History by C. Ross and J. Clark (2008)

Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Lyons_and_Co.

Website: http://flashbak.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-lyons-cornerhouses-and-their-nippy-waitresses-35186/