Update: Though the sign is still in place, the tea room closed sometime in 2014. The building/house had been for sale, but shows no sign of being occupied as of June, 2016.

Afternoon tea is an indisputable English tradition. From delicately baked scones to outrageously thick double cream and the undoubtedly hand picked and painstakingly preserved strawberry jam, it’s as English as cricket, Pimms, and pickled eggs.

The decadent luxury and pleasure of afternoon tea feels to some like the exclusive property of the rural aristocrats. Not so, claims Johnnie Vecoutre, one of the genuinely recognizable personalities of the East London vintage scene who has carefully crafted this five-story Georgian townhouse into a beautifully restored and thoroughly authentic 1940s tea room, right down to the wallpaper.

All are welcome here, so long as they can unflinchingly embrace times gone by. Though there are many self-proclaimed “vintage” establishments lining the backstreets nearby, Vercoutre’s time-warp does it better than most.