Chesterfield New Hampshire Historical Society
Sally Lunn T House
An Old Spofford Establishment
In 1927, Edith Wood Stevens arrived in Spofford and opened the Sally Lunn T House. She named it after the famous English tea cakes, the Sally Lunn buns. Eventually, Edith became "Sally", with few people knowing her given name. She made a striking appearance, always dressed in pure white clothing accessorized by long, flowing scarves and with her head wrapped in a white turban. She complimented her persona by driving a white Cadillac convertible.
Sally was quite the entrepreneur. The T House expanded into the Sally Lunn Inn & T House, boarding teachers from the Spofford Grammar School. Along with her husband, Ralph Stevens, and her sister, Ruth Wood, she purchased two other buildings. They converted another Spofford house into an occasional family residence. The ell of that building contained a woodshed, attic, outhouse, and horse barn. Eventually, they expanded it into the Sally Lunn Annex which accommodated overflow guests from the Lake Spofford Hotel and provided housing for the Sally Lunn businesses' summer help. The second building was a “fixer upper” on Main Street which they converted into the Sally Lunn Coffee Shop.
The Sally Lunn T House became well known for its elaborate and attractive teas and tea parties, with people coming from miles away to attend them. Sometime in the 1940s during Old Home Days, Sally hosted a Senior Social. Folks had a chance to sample some of her Sally Lunn buns and drink "switchel". This was an old-time farmer's drink concocted especially to quench the thirst during haying. It was made from “nippy” cider or vinegar, honey, ginger, and ice. The event was so memorable that a feature story was written about the Senior Social in the “Chesterfield News” over 30 years later.
Sally Lunn buns fall into a category all their own. They have been described as part bun, part bread, part cake. Legend has it, they first appeared in Bath, England in 1680. Solange Luyon, a young Huguenot fleeing persecution in France, supported herself by selling from a basket a rich, generous brioche-like bun called a “soleil et lune” in the streets around Bath Abby. The English anglicized her name into Sally Lunn. Her product’s popularity earned her full-time employment at a bakery. Eventually, her unique buns were in such high demand that they became a Bath culinary attraction. Rival bakeries were unable to duplicate the recipe, resulting in numerous Sally Lunn bun recipes emerging. One of the earliest was published sometime around 1780. The Bath bakery where she worked is now "The Sally Lunn Historic Eating House" and claims to have the closely guarded secret recipe. However, even the authenticity of that recipe is in question!
Chesterfield’s Sally Lunn and her husband went on to build a home in Greenfield, MA. She died sometime in the 1950s. Their properties in Chesterfield were sold after her death and are now private homes. The Church Street building that housed the Sally Lunn T House is c.1850. According to historic records, in 1892 it was the residence of Sarah J. Pierce, widow of Joseph Pierce. He was the brother of Benjamin Pierce who played prominently in Factory Village’s manufacturing. Architecturally, this building is considered a substantially expanded mid-19th Century classic cottage.
Sally Lunn Recipes
Sally Lunn Inn & Tea House Brochure
