How the Lyons Corner House became a haven for the single working woman

In Whitechapel, in the mid 19th century, rolling and selling cigars was a way for a newly arrived immigrant to scrape a living. This is what Samuel Glückstein did, after he landed in London from Belgium in 1843. He built up his cigar business until he could send for his parents and siblings. One of his sisters married a man named Salmon (also in the tobacco trade) and thus the Salmon & Gluckstein firm was born. The fortunes of these intertwined families and their business empire are traced in this book.

Within 20 years they had a large chain of tobacconists, and their brand was known across the country. They even had the capital to consider expansion — and Samuel’s son Monte had the foresight to look at catering, providing refreshments at the many public exhibitions during the last decades of Queen Victoria’s reign. They also decided that for the new venture they needed a less ethnic-sounding name, so chose an acquaintance, Joseph Lyons, as their frontman.