All of the world's tea comes from one plant,
the Camellia Sinesis. It is native to Southeast
Asia. According to legend, one day in 2737 B.C.
the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was boiling
water over an open fire because he believed
drinking boiled water was healthy for the body.
Some leaves from a nearby Camellia Sinesis plant
blew into the boiling water, the Emperor drank
the mixture and after drinking it proclaimed it
made him feel invigorated. So tea was discovered and
all of China began to drink this new magical elixir
proclaiming it to have medicinal qualities. Voyaging
Dutchmen brought the tea over from Asia to Holland
as a stomach restorative. Later tea was introduced to
England in 1652 but not until the 1700's did tea become a
daily ritual. Anna the Duchess of Bedford began the tradition
of afternoon tea. Everyday she would have a light lunch
but around 3:00 to 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon she became
terribly hungry. Dinner was served at 8:00 o'clock and she couldnot wait so she summoned her maids to bring her a cup of tea and some pastries. It was a perfect to keep her satisfied until dinner and she enjoyed it so much she began to invite friends. It wasn't long before all of England was enjoying teatime.

History of English Tea Gardens

The Dutch were the first to provide restaurant service of tea. Tavern owners would serve a full portable tea set; they even provided a heating unit. So Dutchmen would take their tea outside to the tavern gardens thus they were called tea gardens. Later Dutchmen brought the first tea to America in 1650. Finally in 1652 tea reached England and so here is where Tea Gardens flourished. Private ground owners provided tea service to ladies and gentlemen. Orchestras, flowered walkways, concerts, bowling greens, games and many other events entertained them. For the first time women and men were allowed to socialize freely without social criticism. Tea Gardens also cut lines of high society and middle class. Everyone enjoyed the Tea Gardens no matter what birth, line of class or gender you were.