The oldest coffee shop in London isn’t what you would expect. For starters, it’s named the Jamaica Wine House and not the Jamaica Coffee House. It’s actually a pub cum wine house that also sells coffee, as we will discover in a moment. And no, it doesn’t sell Jamaican food or drink. Confused? Come with me.
The Jamaica Wine House is buried deep in the City of London, close to St Paul’s Cathedral. You’ll find it in the atmospheric, Dickensian area of Cornhill, in the (breath in) narrow St Michael’s Alley.
The oldest coffee house in London
Also known as the Jampot, the Jamaica Wine House stands on the site where London’s first coffee house opened in 1652. It was originally known as Pasqua Rosee’s Head or the Turk’s Head. Pasqua Rosee, thought to have been Greek or from Ragusa, was the manservant of the English merchant Daniel Edwards, a big fan of coffee who imported the strong stuff from Turkey. The pair became co-owners of London’s first coffee house, even if it was the servant’s name above the door.
Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire
Samuel Pepys (public domain)
The diarist Samuel Pepys is said to have been a customer of the coffee houses around Cornhill. The original building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was rebuilt in the 1670s and became known as the Jamaica Coffee House, a meeting place for merchants and ship-owners with interests in the West India trade, hence the Jamaica in the name. Many of those fortunes were tied to sugar plantations and slavery, so the name has a dark side as well as a delicious one.
Charles II tries to ban coffee
Charles II (public domain)
When Charles II came back to reign over his fair land and boozy subjects, he issued “A Proclamation for the Suppression of Coffee-Houses” in 1675. There was such a huge backlash that the proclamation didn’t stand, and the coffee houses carried on serving.
The Jamaica Wine House today
Sadly, the seventeenth-century building no longer exists. The current red-brick structure is Victorian, dating from 1869, at which point the Jamaica Coffee House became a pub and was rebranded the Jamaica Wine House.
Step inside this Grade II listed gem and you’ll see that it’s essentially a Victorian pub with trademark dark mahogany panelling and cosy banquettes. Look out for the original coffee urn by the window seat and the vintage posters on the walls.
These days you’ll find plenty of City workers downing a pint at the Jamaica Wine House, together with the odd tourist or two who stumbles across the pub. On sunny days the punters spill out onto the alleyway.
Ghosts of the Jamaica Wine House
It doesn’t just ooze history, it also apparently has three ghosts who have made it their home. Jennifer is gregarious and likes the pub atmosphere, while Tatty Matty is shy and reserved.
Visiting the Jamaica Wine House
Jamaica Wine House: St Michael’s Alley, Cornhill, London EC3V 9DS. Nearest tube: Bank. It’s a City pub, so it’s usually closed at weekends. Check the website for opening hours before you go.
If you enjoy hidden London history, you might also like my guide to Charles Dickens’ London and my 15 reasons to visit Bankside, just across the river.