Swiss Anglo Connections
Intro
Throughout history, Britons have always been fascinated by the Swiss Alps and vice versa the Swiss about island life. A few Swiss families and individuals emigrated to England during the early 18th century, but it wasn’t until the late 19th century when a well-known Swiss community evolved around Leicester Square in London. Read about Swiss Anglo connections still visible to this day.
The Swiss Center on Leicester Square
The Swiss Centre was a popular stop for tourists and Londoners passing between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square back in the day.
The building was a piece of Modernist architecture designed to showcase Swiss culture and encourage tourists to visit our country. The Swiss Centre, designed by David Aberdeen opened in 1968. It was a trade and commercial centre that featured a Swiss bank, our tourist office, a chocolate and souvenir shop, a Swissair ticket office, a cafe and several Swiss themed restaurants which were located in the basement.
Due to digitalisation, more people had access to travel information online and booked their holiday directly and the building was demolished in 2008. The Glockenspiel from the facade of the building was preserved, redesigned and later reconstructed on Leicester Square and the surrounding vicinity officially named ‘Swiss Court’.
Betty’s Tea House in Harrogate
In 1907 the young baker and confectioner, Fritz Bützer, left Switzerland to travel to England with a dream of establishing his own business.
On his arrival, he lost the note of his final destination but remembered that it was similar to the German word 'Bratwurst'. With the help of a local he figured out that his destination was Bradford and shortly after boarded the train heading north. He spent his first night in the waiting room at Bradford station – penniless, jobless and unable to speak a word of English.
At that point of time, he was completely unaware that 12 years later he would open with the help of his wife's parents one of the most renowned British tea houses – Betty’s Teahouse.
During the 1920s Betty’s expanded to open a bakery supplying cafés in prime locations of Bradford and Leeds. Betty’s survived the second world war by stretching rations to feed as many people as possible and created confectionary out of salvaged goods that would have gone to waste.
It’s unlikely that Frederick could have imagined that more than 100 years after he opened his little café there would one day be six Betty’s all located in his beloved adopted county of North Yorkshire.
Carlo Gatti’s Ice Cream
In 1847, Carlo Gatti moved from the Swiss canton of Ticino to London, where he lived in the italian community in Holborn. After his arrival, he started selling refreshments from a small stall. During the summer months he offered waffles sprinkled with sugar and in wintertime he sold roasted chestnuts.
In 1849, he opened a café and restaurant specialising in chocolate and ice cream together with his Ticinese friend Battista Bolla. The chocolate making machine was displayed in the window of the shop to attract customers while the ice for the ice cream came from Norway and was transported via the Regent’s canal.
Gatti was the first person to make ice cream accessible and affordable to the general public. His business generated millions and at the age of 54, in 1871, Gatti handed over the business to family members and retired to Switzerland.
The Swiss Glockenspiel
The original bells were infact installed at the Swiss Centre in 1985, which until 2008 was itself an iconic sight in London until the building was demolished. In 2010, the decision was made to rebuild the famous Swiss Glockenspiel which now sits Leicester Square. The area was named ‘Swiss Court’ in 1991 by the Lord Mayor of Westminster as a token of the lasting friendship between Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The Glockenspiel was redesigned and restored by the clockmakers Smith of Derby who maintain it to this day. It is a free-standing totem design and features 11 moving Swiss figures against a traditional Swiss alpine backdrop, images of the 26 Swiss cantons, 27 bells, 4 Swiss bell ringers and 2 clocks at the top of the structure. The bells chime and a five-minute performance takes place several times a day for the people passing by.
Mosimann’s Club in London
Anton Mosimann came to London from Switzerland as a young chef, aged 28. He was the youngest ever to hold the prestigious position of Maître Chef des Cuisines at The Dorchester and became the first restaurant outside of France to receive two Michelin stars. A few years later, in 1988, he founded the private dining club 'Mosimann's' in Belgravia.
The restaurant attracts visitors from all over the world to experience its exemplary cuisine, wines and bespoke service, set in a stunningly-converted 19th century church. Mosimann’s also holds a prestigious Royal Warrant by Appointment to HRH the Prince of Wales for Catering Services, having cooked for many important state functions.
Over the past few years, Anton’s sons Philipp & Marc have taken up the reins of the business, with Anton being in the background to ensure the standards continue to reflect his ethos
Restaurant St Moritz
Situated on Wardour St. in London's Soho, Armin Loetscher founded the ‘St Moritz Fondue Club’ in 1960 as an informal dining club to cater for the vast amount of Swiss people living in London at the time.
Throughout the 60s and 70s, the St Moritz Club as it became known made its name as one of the iconic music venues of the era with many famous bands playing including the Kinks, Deep Purple and Joe Strummer, who even wrote a song about the club.
In 1974, the St.Moritz restaurant was opened upstairs and is now London's oldest Swiss restaurant. Genuine traditional Swiss cuisine can still be enjoyed to this day.
Unione Ticinese in London
More than 145 years ago, the Unione Ticinese was founded by Stefano Gatti to provide a focal point for people who somehow have a bond with the Italian speaking part of Switzerland living in the United Kingdom. Gatti was a restaurant-owner and entrepreneur and his family had arrived in London from Marogno in the Val di Blenio a few decades earlier.
The main aim of the foundation of the union was to provide care in sickness and company in health. The union organised social outings and banquets. At that time the club was only open to men but opened up to women in 1939. Nowadays, many members are not native-born Ticinesi but friends of Ticino or descendants who want to learn more about their Ticinese ancestors.
Charlie Chaplin Statue on Leicester Square
It is a work by the sculptor John Doubleday and portrays the actor, comedian and filmmaker in his best-known role as ‘The Tramp’. Charlie Chaplin lived for many years in Vevey on the shore of Lake Geneva from 1952 until his death in 1977. For this reason, an almost exact replica of the Leicester Square statue can be found in Vevey at the lakeside. His former home in Vevey is now a museum dedicated to his life's work and is open to the public.
Pubs in Soho with Swiss history
From the 1840s, a distinctively Swiss working-class community evolved and became embedded north of Leicester square. Soho was generally a magnet for immigrants in the 1840 due to its reputation of cosmopolitanism.
Soho has many Swiss connections. One of them being 'The Sun and 13 Cantons' pub at Great Pulteney Street. The pub opened in 1756 when Swiss woolen merchants were based close by which gave the pub its Swiss name. Shortly after its opening, the pub became a meeting place for Masons. Nowadays, despite its name, the Swiss connection is all but forgotten.
Another pub which has truly stood the test of time - surviving two world wars and still retaining its traditional charm is the ‘Spice of Life’. Open since at least 1898, the pub was firstly called 'The Cantons' and underwent a few name changes over the last couple of years including the name 'George and 13 Cantons'. Since 1986, the pub is called 'The Spice of Life' ever since.
But why were they both called ’13 cantons’? The Old Swiss Confederacy was an alliance created in 1291 among the three founding cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. Over time more and more cantons joined the alliance but when the Helvetic Republic was formed in 1798, what we call ‘Switzerland’ nowadays consisted of only 13 cantons.
Wappenbaum on Leicester Square
In 1977, the Swiss Authorities offered the City of Westminster a golden crown in form of an antique Inn Sign in celebration of the Queens Silver Jubilee. A few years later, in 1991, the Confederation of Switzerland celebrated its 700th anniversary. As a gesture to Switzerland the Lord Mayor of the City of Westminster renamed New Coventry Street to Swiss Court and inaugurated a Swiss Cantonal Tree showing the 26 coat of arms of the Cantons of Switzerland and the Swiss flag with the golden crown on top. Since then, the Wappenbaum has been looked after by the Swiss tourism office.
Swiss Church in London
In 1762, the ‘Eglise Helvétique’ was established in London by a group of expats. Only 13 years later, the ‘Helvetic Chapel’ was built near Moor Street in Soho with financial aid from the cities of Geneva and Bern.
The church played an important role in the protection of the Swiss abroad during these times and the pastor was even the one to issue passports to Swiss citizens until 1817.
In 1855, the inauguration of the current building in Endell Street took place after much planning and fundraising in England and Switzerland. The 100-year jubilee saw several hundred Swiss gathered together at the church in 1862.
The London district ‘Swiss Cottage’
In 1841, a cottage in the traditional Swiss style was built on an island crossing on Finchley Road. The cottage was originally an inn called ‘The Swiss Tavern’, later called the ‘Swiss Inn’ and since the early 20th century named ‘Swiss Cottage’. Due to its distinctive appearance, the cottage became associated with the area and eventually gave the district its name. The building is nowadays a pub called 'Ye Olde Swiss Cottage'.