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London Coffeehouses

Type Object Region England Time 1650–1700

Commercial social venues that emerged in 17th–18th century London, where patrons paid a small fee for coffee, newspapers, and business and political …

Timeline

  1. 1652–1660St Michael's Alley · LondonLevantine merchant Pasqua Rosée opened London's first coffeehouse in St Michael's Alley, selling a bitter coffee drink; it quickly attracted merchants, scholars, and politicians, as coffee shifted from exotic curiosity to everyday urban commodity.
  2. 1660–1700City of London and the West End · LondonBy 1700 London had hundreds of coffeehouses, differentiated by trade and interest: Jonathan's Coffee-House gathered stockbrokers, while Lloyd's Coffee House drew shipowners and insurers; patrons could read papers such as The Times, forming open spaces for discussion.
  3. 1688–1710Lombard Street, Cornhill · City of LondonEdward Lloyd's Coffee House (1688) became a venue for marine insurance trading and later evolved into Lloyd's; stockbrokers gathered near Jonathan's Coffee House, laying the foundation for the London Stock Exchange of 1773. Coffeehouses effectively performed the functions of early financial exchanges.
  4. 1675–1676London · LondonCharles II ordered coffeehouses closed, fearing the spread of political rumor; after public backlash, the ban lasted only a few days before being revoked. The episode highlighted the dual nature of coffeehouses as spaces of public opinion: they promoted the flow of information while also alarming the authorities.

Sources