351–353 Strand – Ole & Steen – tea at the end of the walk

Dracula · A modern bakery break · Dracula, Chapter 20

Finish the walk with a cup of tea around the corner from the Lyceum, recalling Jonathan Harker’s pause at an ABC tea shop.

Ole & Steen’s Strand bakery is at 351–353 Strand, close to Wellington Street and the Lyceum. After following Bram from Chelsea to the theatre, this is an optional place to rest over tea, coffee or something to eat.

In Chapter 20, Jonathan has traced the Count’s Piccadilly house and questioned the estate agents Mitchell, Sons & Candy in Sackville Street. Darkness has fallen and he is tired and hungry: he takes a cup of tea at an Aërated Bread Company shop before catching the train back to Purfleet. The novel does not identify that shop; this modern bakery provides an echo of his break.

The Aërated Bread Company was incorporated in London in 1862. Despite the diaeresis – the two dots over the ë – its name was not Scandinavian. It described bread raised by forcing carbon dioxide into dough. ABC’s affordable tea shops became a familiar part of London life.

Look for

The Ole & Steen shop at 351–353 Strand, on the north side near Wellington Street.

Evidence

Dracula names the Aërated Bread Company but does not identify Jonathan’s branch; this is a modern refreshment stop after the Lyceum.

Practical information

Optional and paid. Check the Strand branch’s current opening hours and menu before visiting. The Bram Stoker Estate receives no commission or payment from recommendations or bookings.

Dracula, Chapter 20: Jonathan’s tea stop ↗

Ole & Steen: Strand address and current opening hours ↗

Food Standards Agency: Ole & Steen, 353 Strand ↗

Aërated Bread Company: the London company records ↗

More about Jonathan’s ABC tea break ↗

Walk to the bakery From the Lyceum’s Wellington Street portico, walk to the Strand and follow the north-side pavement to Ole & Steen at 351–353. It is a short walk around the corner. This optional stop finishes the trip.

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