“I say, anyone for a spot of tea?”

Whether this is proper English or not, it sounds like fun. And, we promise, it will be.

You are invited to the Albert Lea Art Center, 224 S. Broadway Ave., Albert Lea on Saturday, May 16, at 1 p.m. for a spot of tea. The very proper English Tea will be sponsored by the Art Center as a fundraiser — a fun one. You may come dressed as casually as you like, however, you will be greeted by and waited on by people in formal attire, and you will be escorted into a gallery creatively decorated in white and silver served a delicious high tea, and entertained by some of Albert Lea’s most talented actors and musicians. Rather than the 65 pounds that you would be required to pay in England for this elegant affair, you are asked for only a paltry $15 donation per ticket. What an absolutely elegant way for you and your friends to spend a Saturday afternoon. Seating is limited so please contact the Art Center soon for your ticket.

The “spot of tea” question at the beginning of this column was borrowed from an article written in 1993 by Marlene Behle, then lifestyles editor for the Albert Lea Tribune. She had interviewed Edna Hill and had written a delightful article on Edna’s bringing the tradition of a proper tea to the Hayward, Austin area from her former home in England. Marlene’s article also touched on the history behind this late afternoon tea. Her research found that people in England average six cups of tea each day per person.

In the book “A Proper Tea” by Joanna Isles, loaned to me by Marlene for my own research, I learned that tea was first brought to England in Dutch ships in the 1650s. It was sold in London coffee houses and in addition to being a refreshing alternative to ale, it was considered to have medicinal effects for problems such as headaches, fevers, colds, dropsy, scurvy and lipitude distillations.

In the 1660s, tea was made popular by Charles II’s Queen Catherine, who brought it from her native Portugal which carried on a thriving trade with the Far East. At first, it was a drink enjoyed only by the wealthy, but it soon became available to everyone.

Several years ago, I spent five weeks at the University of Warwick in Great Britain studying 18th century English country homes, their design, construction methods, and interior decorations. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that allowed me access to many homes that otherwise would not be available.

We even visited Althorp, the home of Princess Diana, which had been in the Spencer family since 1506. It was incredibly beautiful. In reading the family history, I learned that Althorp had been visited many times by the British royalty in the past 500 years.

The first Lord Spencer owned 15,000 sheep in addition to his cattle and was almost as wealthy as King James I. One of the other students in the class bought an elegant teapot from the current Countess Spencer. Their little shop has grown into a sizeable business, selling British items worldwide.

Apparently the business sense of the first Lord Spencer has continued down through the many generations of their family.

I also attended the Royal Fair (similar to our state fair) with some friends from England, and we stopped for afternoon tea. They were shocked when I did not add cream and sugar, and after watching the expressions on their faces, I decided that “while in England I’d better do as the natives do,” so from then on I added cream and sugar to each and every cup — and there were lots of them. It was delicious, and it took quite a while to change that habit when I returned to the U.S.

Back to the subject of this column…

When you attend the Albert Lea Art Center’s elegant tea, you will not be required to drink six cups (though you may if you’d like), nor will you have to add cream and sugar (though you may if you’d like). We do ask that you come prepared to spend an unusual and fun afternoon, and that you have a smashing good time.

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center where Bonnie Broitzman’s watercolors, Steve Tubbs’ ceramics and Chris Charlson’s sculptures are exhibited in the galleries throughout May and June.