The story of tobacco in London stretches back over four centuries — a tale of adventure, craftsmanship, and refined indulgence. It begins in 1573, when Sir Francis Drake returned from the New World with a strange new leaf that would soon captivate the capital. Though English sailors had already bartered for tobacco with Spanish and Portuguese crews, Drake brought with him something new — a method of curing the leaves so they could be stored, transported, and sold more affordably.
Soon, the East India Company was importing tobacco alongside other exotic treasures, and the British Exchequer was reaping generous taxes from London’s growing obsession with smoking. By the 17th century, the banks of the Thames were littered with tiny clay pipe fragments — remnants of Londoners’ first encounters with this foreign pleasure.
Tobacco Dock & the Rise of the Pipe
By the 19th century, vast quantities of tobacco were stored at Tobacco Dock in Wapping — a red-brick monument to Britain’s global trade. Even today, pipe-making continues in London, a craft with roots reaching back to the 1600s.
In 1619, King James I decreed that all tobacco must enter the country via London, granting the right to make pipes only to a select group of craftsmen based in Westminster. His charter gave rise to what became The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers & Tobacco Blenders, still active today.
Centuries later, in 1907, a young entrepreneur named Alfred Dunhill opened his first tobacco shop on Duke Street. Dissatisfied with the pipes available, he established his own workshop nearby — the birthplace of the “windshield pipe,” cleverly designed to keep ash from blowing into one’s face while motoring. That workshop, once the beating heart of London’s pipe-making revival, now resides in Walthamstow.
Cigars Arrive in London
The cigar’s London debut came in 1814, when British officers returned from the Peninsular War carrying gifts from their Spanish comrades — rolled Cuban cigars. These quickly found favour in London’s gentlemen’s clubs and officers’ messes, where the art of cigar smoking became synonymous with refinement and camaraderie.
The Golden Age of the Cigar Divan
In the early 19th century, London saw the rise of a new social hub: the cigar divan.
These elegant coffee houses catered to cigar smokers and blended Eastern décor with London sophistication. The first, Mr Gliddon’s Cigar Divan, opened on 8 February 1825 at 42 King Street, Covent Garden, draped in rich fabrics “like an eastern tent.”
Three years later, The Grand Cigar Divan opened at Simpson’s in the Strand, becoming both a celebrated coffee house and the “home of chess.” Great minds like Howard Staunton, England’s first world chess champion, frequented its tables — proving that fine cigars and strategic thinking make ideal companions.
Cigarettes and the Modern Era
While cigars ruled clubland, the cigarette found favour during World War I, when soldiers sought quick comfort on the front lines. London’s most beautiful cigarette factory was undoubtedly the Egyptian-inspired Carreras Factory at Mornington Crescent, its iconic black cat statues still guarding the building long after production ceased in 1959.
London’s Legendary Tobacconists
Few cities rival London for tobacco heritage. Robert Lewis, founded in 1787 on St James’s Street, counted Sir Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, and European royalty among its patrons. In 1992, it joined forces with James J. Fox, creating one of the world’s most respected tobacconist names.
Meanwhile, Inderwicks, founded in 1797, was famed as England’s oldest pipe maker — its Bear Street shop later absorbed into the Bear and Staff pub, preserving its legacy in true London fashion.
A City Still Smoking in Style
Since the UK smoking ban of 2007, cigar culture in London has flourished rather than faded.
Today, the city boasts a vibrant network of cigar stores, sampling lounges, and terraces, from Boisdale of Belgravia to hidden gems across Mayfair and St James’s.
At Simply Cigars, we celebrate this living heritage — connecting the centuries-old story of London tobacco with the pleasures of today’s finest Cuban cigars and New World blends.
Explore London’s Cigar Legacy
From Sir Francis Drake’s first shipment to the elegant cigar divans of the 1800s, London’s relationship with tobacco is woven into the fabric of the city itself. So, the next time you light a cigar, you’re not just enjoying a smoke — you’re continuing a 450-year-old London tradition.
Discover more at Simply Cigars — your trusted destination for cigars, humidors, and accessories inspired by centuries of craftsmanship.