The setting for The River Tea Room is the picturesque village of Auzon in the Haute-Loire Department of the Auvergne Region. The old village's dramatic setting on a sheer-sided spur of rock, overlooking the valley of the river that shares its name, is best appreciated when seen arriving along the Allier Valley. The narrow streets and alleys of the old town lead to an open square on which the 12th century fortified church stands. This collegiate church was built on a rock on the site of a 5th century church from which the stone altar and font have survived.
An ancient relic of Auzon, The Franks Casket (or the Auzon Runic Casket) is currently kept at the British Museum. Like the current patrons of The River Tea Room, the unique antique originated in Northumbria! The small whalebone chest, dateable from its pagan elements to the mid 7th century, is decorated with images and runic inscriptions and is important for the insight it gives into culture in early Anglo-Saxon England. The casket was in the possession of a family in Auzon where it served as a sewing box until the silver hinges were traded for a silver ring. Without the support of these the casket fell apart. The parts were shown to Professor Mathieu from nearby Clermont-Ferrand, who sold them to an antique shop in Paris, where they were bought by Sir Augustus W. Franks who subsequently donated the panels to the British Museum in 1867. A missing panel was later found in a drawer by the family in Auzon and is now in the Bargello Museum, Florence.