“LITTLE BRITAIN” IN NEW YORK CITY

The British Are Coming... No Wait, They’re Here

New Yorkers Campaign to Change the Map of New York City with a Petition to Create “Little Britain,” a New Neighborhood in Manhattan, New York has begun.

New York City business owners and residents have banded together to officially change the map of New York City.

The movement to create Little Britain proposes to formally recognize a new neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan.

The British residents, businesses and Anglophiles who have built this community in New York launched the Campaign for Little Britain on March 21st, 2007 with a press conference and petition at www.campaignforlittlebritain.com.

The campaign, led by British airline Virgin Atlantic Airways and Tea & Sympathy, the British restaurant on Greenwich Avenue, and supported by the many British businesses located throughout the city looks to formally recognize the neighborhood that was born many years ago.

The Campaign for Little Britain in the Big Apple is already gaining momentum with hundreds of supporters both New Yorkers and British alike. Officially recognizing cultural communities throughout the boroughs has been a constant in New York City for decades, with Manhattan now boasting such neighborhoods as Little Italy, Chinatown, Spanish Harlem, Little Brazil, and Koreatown. But despite the number of British residents in New York City, and the large number of travelers between here and the United Kingdom, there is no Little Britain.

Tea & Sympathy, located on Greenwich Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets, is located at the heart of Little Britain. The owners, Nicky Perry and Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett, have dedicated their lives in New York to creating a British community on Greenwich Avenue:

“In a city famous for its diversity where Little Italy and Chinatown are destinations, and almost every nationality has a ‘Little’ version of themselves there should be a Little Britain too,” said Nicky Perry. The couple is joined by Virgin Atlantic Airways, which flies over half a million people between New York City and the UK each year.

New York is important to the history of the airline which launched its inaugural flight in 1984 from London to New York, and has carried over 13 million travelers between the two cities since. The airline now operates 6 flights a day between the two cities.

"I started Virgin Atlantic because I have always felt there is a strong connection between New York and London,” said Richard Branson, Chairman and Founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways. “We started with just one flight a day but now, with six flights a day and over half a million people flying on this route each year, we’re helping to link the two cities that have become the business, media, financial and cultural capitals of the world. It's hard to believe there isn't already a Little Britain in New York."

To galvanize popular support across the city and beyond the organizers have created a lobbying campaign set to launch over the next several weeks. In true British form the campaign will be tongue-in-cheek and witty including campaign posters, a spoof party political broadcast, campaign t-shirts styled by British fashion brand Ben Sherman, and campaign propaganda distributed at British retailers and pubs.

The campaign platform is clear: to get ALL of New York, including the Mayor, to vote for Little Britain in the Big Apple. The campaign will use typical British humor posing the question “What’s one more Queen in the Village”, as well as reminding New Yorkers that the Brits “took Madonna off your hands.”

While the campaign will look to rename the block of Greenwich Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets, the neighborhood will reach from Washington Street to 6th Avenue and 14th down to Perry Street. The area already features many British businesses including Myers of Keswick, Showroom 64, Fiddlesticks, Bumble and bumble and petitioners feel strongly that renaming this block will attract more businesses and tourists to the area.

Since opening in 1990, Tea and Sympathy has served thirty million cups of tea and its sister restaurant, A Salt and Battery, several thousand tons of chips. Making the neighborhood more attractive to the British and the British at Heart they have a led a recent surge in financial development by British residents who have invested millions of dollars in to the area.

By officially declaring the neighborhood “Little Britain,” the city will reap the benefits of a continuance of this trend. A landmark name like Little Britain will also lessen the confusion between Greenwich Street and Greenwich Avenue. The 6th Street Precinct can verify that all too often they have to redirect people, including the emergency services, who find themselves on the wrong ‘Greenwich’.

The kick-off for the Campaign was officially scheduled for Wednesday, March 21st at 11:00am with a press conference held in Jackson Square. Representatives from Virgin Atlantic Airways and Tea & Sympathy outlined the complete details of the program and were on hand to serve tea British Style.

The petition was available for signing as well. It can now be found at locations throughout the neighborhood and online at www.campaignforlittlebritain.com.

 

Tea & Sympathy opened in 1990 and quickly became known as the unofficial British Embassy followed by A Salt & Battery in 2000. Thirty million cups of tea and several thousand tons of chips later, Tea and Sympathy have helped create a little enclave to the old country in the heart of this exceptional city. And in the last few years there has been a surge in British business in the area from fashion brands like Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and most recently Mulberry, to clubs and restaurants like The Spotted Pig to huge businesses like Bumble & bumble locating their headquarters here.

Over a year ago, Tea & Sympathy met with Virgin Atlantic and the idea to officially create a "Little Britain" was born. Like Tea and Sympathy, Virgin launched here, and, God bless 'em, they fly a lot of tourist customers to Little Britain as well as flying a lot of Anglophile New Yorkers back over to Big Britain.

Officially recognizing cultural communities throughout the boroughs has been a constant in New York City for decades with Manhattan now boasting such neighborhoods as Little Italy, Chinatown, Spanish Harlem, Little Brazil, and Koreatown. Yet, despite the number of British residents in New York City, and the large number of travelers between here and the United Kingdom, there is no Little Britain.

When polls of the US public show that Britain is viewed more positively than any other country where for years the Brits and the US have been, and still are, each other's largest foreign investors, when New York and London are officially sister cities, when even New York’s junior senator has a little bit of Britain in her, (she's of Welsh descent) and we just gave “The Queen” an Oscar, isn't it time we got a neighborhood?

Here's what you should keep in mind before we show you New York from the perspective of Little Britain: Though LB is that little enclave bounded by 11th and 14th streets and Sixth Avenue and Washington Street, you can't go anywhere in the city without seeing the impact Brits have made here. After all, if things had turned out differently you could have been wearing wooden shoes and reading this in Dutch. So be prepared to change pounds into dollars, and drink a quarter more with every pint of ale. It's time to meet Little Britain and a few of its neighbors!

1. Tea & Sympathy
108 Greenwich Ave., between 12th and 13th Streets,
212 -989-9735

Give up the bad blood over that unpleasant Boston Tea Party business and head over to Tea & Sympathy, the unofficial capital and official heart of Little Britain. No-nonsense Nicky Perry and Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett have been acting as UK's de facto cultural ambassadors to New York's British expats like Naomi Campbell and Kate Winslet for 17 years, and in the process have created Little Britain in everything but name. So who else to take up the Union Jack and lead the LB campaign with Virgin Atlantic? Whenever an Englishman's feeling blue at not having been rained on in a month or two Nicky's bangers and mash will conveniently transport him back to Blighty. It's also, perhaps, the best place in the city to get a properly brewed pot of something called “tea.” Apparently, Brits are rather fond of drinking it.

2. A Salt and Battery
112 Greenwich Ave., between 12th and 13th Streets,
212-254-6610

Enough of your American cultural self-loathing! Forgive yourself for drowning your “french fries” in ketchup—the famous British reserve forbids most from informing Americans that chips aren't French and ought to be eaten with malt vinegar and salt. But if you're going to be visiting the authentic chip shop Nicky Perry and husband Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett have set up next to their mainstay, there are a few rules to remember: The newspapers are for the food not for reading; the Mars Bars come deep-fried; and cockney isn't remotely like what Dick van Dyke was doing in “Mary Poppins.”

3. Showroom 64
106 Greenwich Ave., between 12th & 13th Streets,
212-206-8915

With tongue firmly in cheek, baby and children’s store Showroom 64, is the inspiration of British sisters Emma Norden and Holly Greenwald. With a sister store across the pond, Showroom 64 is a playground of cool cuteness—jam-packed with the best of British design and humor. Showroom 64's unexpressed goal seems to be to spread yet another philosophy that more and more New Yorkers and Londoners celebrate together—the idea that your children should be better dressed than you.

4. Fiddlesticks
56 Greenwich Ave., between 6th and 7th Avenues,
212-463-0516

If Yanks and Brits are going to remain BFF, they ought to learn to speak the same language. So here's a question for you: Are you rabbiting porkies, or did you really Darren Gough a north and southful of Rosie Lee into your china's Tony Blair? Here an easier one: How do you ask for a glass of starch fermented alcoholic beverage? That's right, you ask for a pint of beer. Warm or ice cold, if there's one common language shared by all the English speaking peoples it's beer, and at the unofficial beer supplier of Little Britain the patrons speak volumes: there's still a monarchy, and the pint is still king. Yes, it is technically an Irish pub. Why do you ask?

5. Greenwich Village, Greenwich Avenue and Greenwich Street

Do you really need further proof how much New York adores Britain? New Yorkers named an entire neighborhood and not one but two of their streets after Greenwich to the delight of astronomers and sailors and to the eternal confusion of tourists navigating the West Village. (Here's a hint: With a Little Britain in NY you won't get lost if you're looking for Greenwich Avenue from Greenwich Street.) In the early 19th century, New Yorkers regularly fled here to avoid yellow fever. Now, Britons flee here to avoid paying VAT. Also, everyone knows how much Brits love villages.

6. Stella McCartney
429 W. 14th St., between 9th and 10th Avenues,
212-255-1556

This gal's royalty on either side of the Atlantic—her mother was a successful New York photographer and daughter of a department store heiress. Her dad did OK for himself too. But little Stella made her own name known to the world by adorning the likes of Madonna, Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Annie Lennox and Yasmin Le Bon. Here, her store is the spot women go to reward themselves for going daily to the gym—yet something else New York City and London have in common.

7. Alexander McQueen
417 14th St., between 9th and 10th Avenues,
212-645-1797

Who ever predicted the son of an East End taxi driver would become one of the worlds most influential and controversial fashion designers? Of course, anyone who knows anything about Britain knows it's the land of surprises - Gordon Ramsey becoming a celebrity chef in America, (the Brits haven’t really been credited for their food until now), the East End of London winning the 2012 Olympics and Bob Hope being English. Don't expect to be sprayed with paint at McQueen's store in the meat packing district, though—the enfant terrible of fashion and “hooligan of the runways” has settled for drawing “ahs” and “oohs” instead of gasps at what's become a fixture for the fashion forward in the meat packing district.

8. Catriona MacKechnie
400 W. 14th St., between 9th and 10th Avenues,
212-242-3200

They're frilly little things designed for a decidedly non-Glaswegian climate, but Glasgow gal Catriona MacKechnie proves that you can't judge a country by its weather when she brings the sexy out of Scotland like she does. She specializes in high end lingerie, swimwear and loungewear that's naughtier than a whisper and sweeter than an English pudding.

9. Bumble and bumble
415 West 13th St., between 9th Avenue & Washington Street,
212-521-6500

Never mind the fact that it's technically a New York-based company. Bumble and bumble beats with the heart of Britain—started by Brits and run by Brits with a British sensibility about the basics of beauty. When it opened in 1977, it had a single vision that's transformed the industry for hair care and beauty products—that the important thing was to get beyond trends and focus on bringing out a person's individual look. Lucky for us, then, that Bumble and bumble didn't decide to go into apiaries instead.

10. Myers of Keswick
634 Hudson St., between Jane & Horatio Streets,
212-691-4194

Meet the man pasties made: Englishman Peter Myers is unofficial mayor of the expatriate British community in New York City. And he has been ever since 1978 when his dad passed out sausage rolls and Cornish pasties at the watering hole where Peter tended bar. Now Peter keeps his people properly supplied with hearty pies and bangers, Scotch eggs and Spotted Dick. Everything from the floor tiles to the wall cabinets looks exactly the part to make a homesick Lake District boy feel at peace. Pass the HP Sauce, please!

11. John Lennon's First New York Apartment
105 Bank St., between Greenwich and Washington Streets

Don't expect a memorial plaque to Britain's greatest songwriter. No, with typical British modesty (besides that whole “bigger than Jesus” thing), the ex-Beatle's ghost hasn’t demanded a tribute at the nondescript building where he spent his first months in his adopted hometown. As he settled in, a helpful neighbor named Bob Dylan (formerly Zimmerman) showed him where to find his daily bread, and it was common to see Lennon pedaling around the neighborhood on errands. One problem with the place, though—the number of “telephone repairmen” who kept trooping in and out of the apartment supervised, he believed, by a boss named J. Edgar. Lennon muddled on through, though—stiff upper lip and all that. He made his calls from neighbor John Cage's phone instead.

12. Lulu Guinness
394 Bleecker St., between 11th & Perry Streets,
212-367-2120

London's trend-setting Lulu Guinness fits the bill nicely on both counts with a collection of frilly clutches, purses and vanities that make New York's fashion plates go weak at the knees and add a dash of cheeky, British-style fun to gray Gotham streets—you know, the kind of British whimsy that has nothing to do with fairies.

13. White Horse Tavern
567 Hudson St., at 11th Street,
212-989-3956

Sid Vicious! John Lennon! Dylan Thomas! Britain simply cannot lend New York one of its leading lights without Americans misplacing them, can it? But the Yanks shouldn't fret—it's in the British nature not to fuss, and Britons see it as part and parcel of the Special Relationship between the countries. For example, this simple neighborhood bar is where Wales lost its greatest claim to literary fame on Nov. 9, 1953, but there was no ensuing Welsh “shot heard round the world.” Dylan Thomas may have imbibed his last (his personal record was 18 shots of whiskey in a row), but his legacy lives on—by lending his name to a onetime neighborhood resident named Robert Zimmerman,

14. The Spotted Pig
314 W. 11th St., at Greenwich Street,
212-620-0393

Yes, sadly, most Yanks still labor under the impression that the height of English food is dressing up boiled beef with a side of turnips. Meet the British gastro-pub, the UK's biggest contribution to the world since letting America take over running it. The Spotted Pig may add a Continental twist to British standbys—the steak-and-kidney pie done up as char-grilled calf's liver with onions, crispy pancetta and arugula, for example— but even John Bull needs a break from battered sausages every now and then.

15. Mulberry
387 Bleecker St., at Perry Street,
888-685-6856

Mention the word “leather” to an American and the first thing that pops into his mind will probably be cowboys or motorcycle gangs (OK, and certain gentlemen's clubs). But you don't think about leather in the UK without thinking Mulberry. The British leather goods store where Londoners flock to get bags and accessories in regular leather or in such exotic materials as python or ostrich has dipped its toe into the US market, and where else but in the heart of New York's British expat community, Little Britain? Did you think you had a lot of leather? The store is literally swathed in it from wall to wall.

16. Peter Pan Statue
Carl Schurz Park, E. 84th to E. 90th Streets,
East River to East End Avenue

Try as you might, you can't pin Wacko Jacko on the British. J.M. Barrie didn't just give us creepy analogies for aging pop stars who spend too much time with young boys—he also nearly singlehandedly gave us the name Wendy. New Yorkers were so thankful to the writer that they saved a statue of his greatest creation from destruction and gave him a permanent home in Carl Schurz Park—except for one unwilling outing. Perhaps holding a grudge against a girl named Wendy, mysterious pixie nappers nabbed the statue in August 1999 and dumped it in the East River. It was returned and restored partially with funds from an expatriate British actress.

17. Strawberry Fields Memorial
Central Park, off Central Park West at 72nd Street

New Yorkers are so welcoming to England that they even gave Liverpool its own special spot. John Lennon took the name Strawberry Field after a Liverpool orphanage he used to play near as a child, then gave it to one of the most influential songs in history. After Lennon was shot to death at his home in the Dakota building, New York honored him with a site directly across the street. It serves as a gathering point on the anniversaries of Lennon's birth and death, and on days of national mourning. There's that little bit of England there, too, a bench donated by Liverpudlians in 2003—shell-suit jokes not included.

18. Conran Shop
407 E. 59th. St., between York & 1st Avenues,
866-755-9079

Otherwise known as the best place in New York to try on a chain mail glove. An emporium of a staggering variety of brilliantly designed home products from calculators to writing desks, Conran Shop proves that style is more than the sum of its parts—but that the parts can be indescribably cool on their own. The London based shops offers thousands of items that are sold in no other store in the US, yet another reason that London and New York are perhaps the two greatest cities the world has ever known.

19. Burberry
9 E. 57th Street, between Madison & 5th Avenues,
212-407-7100

Forget all the Scientology rumors. We know the real reason David and Victoria Beckham are moving to the US. In the UK, the Burberry check became so strongly associated with the chav crowd that the London company that invented the trenchcoat weathered a brand name backlash. In the US, though, the Burberry plaid is still a symbol of the kind of tweedy upper crust sensibility that earned royal warrants from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. Of course, we're not saying that Posh and Becks qualify as chavs, but we reckon moving to the US was a more economical move than replenishing their wardrobe.

20. Asprey
50. E. 57th St., between Park & Madison Avenues,
212-688-1811

If you happen to be wondering what ever became of that whole steamer trunk thing, you'll find your answer at Asprey, which in various incarnations has served as Crown Jeweller since 1843. You'll also discover who in New York City still plays polo, how much a set of first edition Jane Austens runs, and why $2,000 or so isn't really too much to pay for a backgammon set. The brand's been trying to reinvent its image to appeal to those who pay attention where Keira Knightley shops, but in the US it's still ideal as the place to buy gifts for friends named Wallis Simpson.

21. Tartan Week Headquarters at 150 E. 55th St.,
between 3rd and Lexington Avenues
212-980-0844

Vaguely around the April 6 anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath (the model for the American Declaration of Independence), seemingly half the New York City police force, anyone who grew up with the nickname “Mac,” and all the closet kilt fetishists in the tri-state area get together for a celebration of all things Scottish. It's got exactly what you'd expect—an ocean of clan plaids, bagpipers, a parade through Manhattan, and plenty of arguments why Sean Connery was the best Bond ever. But it's also proof that at the heart of every New Yorker is a Scot who will find any excuse he can to be bought a round of top shelf Scotch.

22. Ed Sullivan Theater
1697–1699 Broadway, between 53rd & 54th Streets

Was there ever a more defining moment of post war Anglo American brotherhood than at this spot on Feb. 9, 1964? Britain temporarily handed over a mop topped quartet of English musicians fed on a steady diet of American rock n' roll and New York's Tin Pan Alley. Yanks embraced the “British Invasion” and introduced them to American musicians like Bob Dylan, the Byrds and the Beach Boys. They'd all make sweet music (not necessarily together) and redefine what people listened to around the world. Except for that little old lady in Margate, of course, who still prefers listening to George Formby's “With my Little Ukulele in my Hand.”

23. The Real Winnie-the-Pooh
20 West 53rd St., between 5th & 6th Avenues,
212-621-0618

There really is a Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin Milne's teddy bear from Harrods who remains blissfully unaware of the strain he once put on Anglo American relations. About 50 years ago, Milne either lent or gave Pooh and four of his friends to his US publisher who in turn donated them to the New York Public Library where they went on display in 1987. In 1998, British MP Gwyneth Dunwoody led a heated campaign to bring the iconic toys back to their native land which started a nasty war of words with then mayor Rudy Giuliani and forced comment from Tony Blair. You can see evidence of the power of the average British parliamentarian at the Central Children's Reading Room of the New York Public Library.

24. Thomas Pink
1155 Ave. of the Americas, at 44th Street,
212-840-9663

Think Pink! It's to men in suits what crème brulee is to dieters—an elegant take on a simple concept that you think you can live without until it stares you in the face. The Jermyn Street clothier's been teaching New York's businessmen that you can appear professional without appearing boring since 1989, and is credited with reinventing the concept of men's office wear. It's a bit ironic, then, that the original Thomas Pink was an 18th century tailor specializing in the other side of the menswear spectrum—specifically, red hunting jackets, which are actually called ‘hunting pink’ of course. Tally ho!

25. Wales Week in New York Empire State Building,
350 5th Ave., between 33rd and 34th Streets

Not to be outdone by the Scots, of course, Welsh Americans summon up the spirit of Henry V's Fluellen the week of St. David's Day. New Yorkers can explore Welsh cuisine beyond rarebit and leeks, Welsh letters beyond Dylan Thomas, and mounting evidence that Wales has more than 60 miles of paved roads. Admittedly, the Scots have the Welsh beat in the parade department—Wales Week doesn't get one. But on March 1, Gothamites and expat Welshmen alike can look up to the skies and see the green, red and white of the Welsh dragon, on the Empire State Building.

26. “Bristol Basin” FDR Drive from E. 23rd to E. 30th Streets

Tread on bits of New York and you're treading on English soil because Brits love New York City so much that they helped build it from the ground up—literally. When US merchant ships returned from England during World War II they carried bombing rubble from British cities as ballast. That ballast was used to create the landfill in what was then known as “Bristol Basin” and is now known as someplace you don't want to be in a cab between 5 and 6 on a Friday evening. One legend has it that, in an odd reversal, the cargo that was being carried over to the UK, cans of Spam, was meant to serve as landfill in blasted out London, but was instead incorporated into the English diet.

27. British International School
20 Waterside Plaza, off 23rd Street, 212-481-2700

To show you just how much Americans in turn love an English accent, New Yorkers since September 2006 have been teaching their children to find more uses for the “U”s among their alphabet blocks. The school, for children 4 to 14, stresses the truly important things in life, like the correct spelling of “colour,” “favour” and “programme,” and how to play cricket and football (not the one with helmets). US money, however, is acceptable—tuition is $26,000 a year.

28. Mind the Gap Theatre
535 W. 23rd St., between 10th & 11th Avenues,
212-252-3137

The stage is where Britain and the US owe each other a mutual debt. Without the London theater scene where would young American starlets go to be taken seriously as actors? And without Broadway and Hollywood where would aged English thespians go to finally afford that villa in Tuscany? The MGT and Anglo American Repertory are all for Tuscan villas for everyone—and for proving that there's more to British entertainment than Monty Python.

29. Hotel Chelsea
222 W. 23rd St., between 7th & 8th Avenues,
212-243-3700

New York took the Jesus of punk rock from Britain—and killed him. It took Wales's most famous writer from Britain—and killed him too. Nevertheless, Britain forgives New York. OK, Sid Vicious technically died of a drug overdose, possibly a suicide, and Dylan Thomas drank himself to death, but both stayed at the Hotel Chelsea at the end. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be an anti-British curse at this longtime epicenter for artists and bohemian types—famous Englishmen like Quentin Crisp and Arthur C. Clarke, and Welshmen including John Cale all managed to live here without meeting sordid ends.

30. The New British Music Invasion
Hiro Ballroom,
371 W. 16th St., at 9th Avenue

Get ready to welcome New York's latest wave of the British Invasion. At the spearhead last year were Arctic Monkeys, James Blunt, The Rapture and The Horrors—along with influential UK music magazine NME's Club NME which launched here in November. Meanwhile, the mantle passes this year to Lily Allen (who played atHiro), The View, The Kooks (British New Yorker David Bowie would be proud; they're playing Irving Plaza May 10), James Morrison (Knitting Factory, April 11), Elton John (Madison Square Garden, March 25) and Art Brut (Bowery Ballroom, April 17). And where the Arctic Monkeys go their archenemies, the Kaiser Chiefs, are sure to follow—they're playing April 4 at Roseland Ballroom.

31. TracieMartyn
59 Broadway, between Exchange Alley and Rector Alley

English make up artist Tracie Martyn has given up prettying up models for fashion shoots and brings her talents to the masses. With old fashioned cosmetics know how combined with yoga, nutrition and massage, she doesn't cover up blemishes, she “re-sculpts” faces and bodies including those of celebrity clients like Susan Sarandon, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Unfortunately, she can make no promises about her ability to re-sculpt celebrity marriages.

32. Paul Smith
142 Greene St., between Houston & Prince streets,
212-613-3060

Pinstripes? Without Britain, there would be no pinstripes, at least as we know them. Reflect on that at your next board meeting. As a menswear icon for three decades, Paul Smith has taken the modest pinstripe and made it his signature style. Now everyone's wearing them from Clay Aiken to the CEO of your company. Want that promotion? Here's some free advice straight from the UK: Think like a Brit.

33. Agent Provocateur
133 Mercer St., between Spring & Prince Streets,
212-965-0229

Think the British don't know sexy? Britons have had to fight off allegations of being undersexed since before William Rufus. But Agent Provocateur has set New Yorkers' heartbeats racing by upending that fusty old “English” image with racy little things once described with the adjective “French.” Agent Provocateur's famous for charming its pants onto Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, Kate Moss and Carmen Electra, and one of its controversial commercials helped make Kylie Minogue 2001's most-viewed female in men's imaginations.

34. Ben Sherman
96 Spring St., between Broadway & Mercer Street,
212-680-0160

The Great British icon has been rock 'n' rolling stateside for decades. Brighton boy Ben moved to the USA and married a girl from California only to return to his hometown to start a clothing concern. Founded in 1963, the company gave the world the Mod look and made wearing the button down shirt and Union Jack a popular fashion statement among young people who don't actually know the words to "Rule Britannia." Both the Mod style and the Union Jack became resurgent US phenomena in recent years with the influx of the coolest British music to the young American scene. And the clothes are the essence of Brit style. Did we mention they designed the official Little Britain tee?

35. Cath Kidston
201 Mulberry St., between Kenmare & Spring Streets,
212-343-0023

Ready for a tea in the garden? London-based Cath Kidston's precious textile prints, housewares and children's goods will have you craving for the kind of delicate and proper events that in the US normally occur at bridal showers. New Yorkers have been grateful for the store opening here—not least because it has reduced the incidence of naked men jumping out of cakes.

36. Classic Car Club of Manhattan
250 Hudson St., between Dominick & Broome Streets,
212-229-2402

British cars were chauffeur driven Rolls Royces to most Americans until James Bond literally blew away the competition in his custom made Aston Martin DB5. Small wonder, then, that Americans and Brits should come together just south of Little Britain for their shared love of taking to the road in a really natty automobile. The Classic Car opens up a garage full of dream cars—the best money can buy—to normally subway bound New Yorkers including such British roadsters as the 1977 MGB, 2005 Lotus Elise HRM Edition and, naturally, a Rolls Royce and two Aston Martins. Please leave the Bond toys at home.

37. Bowling Green Broadway and Whitehall & State Streets

In 1770, the British government installed a statue of King George III here which had to be protected with a cast iron fence when the colonists began to physically express differing views on American independence. In 1776, New Yorkers toppled the statue and melted down most of it to make bullets for the coming war. The redcoats weren't any more gracious in defeat, and flew the Union Jack from a greased pole in Bowling Green as they left in 1783. Except for a slight misunderstanding from 1812-1814, relations between the UK and the US have been on the upswing ever since.

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