The craftsmanship of Black Country firm Alan Nuttall Ltd took centre stage when Her Majesty the Queen paid a visit to Fortnum and Mason in London as part of this year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Fortnum and Mason welcomed the Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge to its Piccadilly store in their first official joint visit.
The royal visitors were at the famous store to inspect several products, some produced in honour of the Diamond Jubilee and rounded off their tour with an inspection of the near-complete renovations of the fourth floor St James’s Restaurant being undertaken by Dudley-based Alan Nuttall Ltd.
The restaurant is being transformed into a tearoom fit for the 21st century and has also been renamed the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.
The project solutions division of Alan Nuttall Ltd was appointed to carry out the renovations, which include new wall panelling, lighting and air conditioning as well as new flooring, bar areas, kitchen and toilet block.
The firm’s chairman Alan D Nuttall and project managers Colin Marshall and Colin Izard were invited to attend the store for the royal visit.
During her visit to the new tearoom the Queen unveiled a plaque, which will take pride of place on the newly painted walls when the project is completed on March 26.
The Queen and the duchesses were then joined in a mid-morning tea party by around 150 selected guests, including former members of staff as well as members of the Weston family, which owns the historic store.
