Marianne North Tribute Tea for National Tea Day

Celebrating botanist and artist Marianne North on National Tea Day

To celebrate the UK’s National Tea Day, we’re introducing a limited-edition tea selection inspired by the incredible work of Marianne North, a trailblazing Victorian botanist and artist. The collection has been crafted in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and is available in all their gift shops in the UK and via their website.

Marianne North travelled across continents, capturing the beauty of flora through breath taking paintings and botanical studies. As a woman who defied the conventions of her time, we were inspired to tell her story as she embodies our company’s love for nature and our drive for women’s empowerment.

Marianne North first visited Kew Gardens when she was 26 with her father and this inspired her life-long fascination with far-flung places, flora and fauna. After the death of her father, she set off on a series of trips to some of the world’s most remote locations. North travelled the globe from Borneo to Japan, South Africa to South America as a wealthy, unmarried woman, which was an unusual path in the Victorian period. After thirteen years of travel, North offered her paintings to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew where her passion began. In 1879, she offered to build a gallery at Kew if the Director, Joseph Hooker would agree to display her life’s work. The gallery was completed in 1882 and her extraordinary collection of over 800 works is available to view there to this day.

So as you raise your teacup in honour of National Tea Day, take a moment to toast to the willful spirit of Marianne North, whose passion for nature and fearless pursuit of her dreams continue to inspire generations around the world. Cheers to her legacy, and to the boundless possibilities that await when we dare to defy convention and follow our hearts into unchartered territories.