![]() Several great British institutions can trace their roots back to these humble coffeehouses. So much so that in 1675 an attempt to ban them was made by Charles II, which caused such a public outcry that it was withdrawn. However not all coffeehouses hosted such highbrow clientele: some were haunts for criminals, scoundrels and pimps.Īnyone of any social class could frequent the coffeehouses, and so they became associated with equality and republicanism. Influential patrons included Samuel Pepys, John Dryden, Alexander Pope and Isaac Newton. Polite conversation led to reasoned and sober debate on matters of politics, science, literature and poetry, commerce and religion, so much so that London coffeehouses became known as ‘penny universities’, as that was the price of a cup of coffee. Papers and pamphlets littered the tables in an 18th century coffee house Each coffeehouse had a particular clientele, usually defined by occupation, interest or attitude, such as Tories and Whigs, traders and merchants, poets and authors, and men of fashion and leisure. Unlike public houses, no alcohol was served and women were excluded. The new coffeehouses became fashionable places for the chattering classes to meet, conduct business, gossip, exchange ideas and debate the news of the day. In London, the first one was opened later that same year in at St Michael’s Alley, Cornhill, by an eccentric Greek named Pasqua Roseé. The first coffeehouse in England was opened in Oxford in 1652. Whilst the taste of 17th century coffee was not very palatable – indeed, it tasted quite disgusting according to accounts of the time – the caffeine in it and the ‘buzz’ it provided, proved quite addictive. In 17th and 18th century England, coffeehouses were also popular places for people from all walks of life to go and meet, chat, gossip and have fun, whilst enjoying the latest fashion, a drink newly arrived in Europe from Turkey – coffee. Talk of coffeehouses today, and we think of those chains of cafes run by companies such as Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Caffè Nero, serving a wide range of teas, coffees, smoothies and snacks.
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