The Jamaica Wine House, London
Posted on 05. Jan, 2011 by Robert Gale in Pubs
Brief History
Hidden away in St Michael’s Alley, part of a labyrinth of medieval alleyways near the Bank of England, the Jamaica Wine House sits on the location of the first coffee house in London.
Opened in 1652 by Pasqual Rosee, a Ragusian manservant brought to London from Ottoman Smyrna by his former employer, Mr Daniel Edward, the coffee house was visited by Samuel Pepys on at least one occasion. It was called Pasqual Rosee’s Head and in some accounts, The Turk’s Head.
It has historic links with the sugar trade and slave plantations of the West Indies and Turkey and was the place to visit if you needed to send anything to the Caribbean.
The current red stone building dates from 1869 and the wood-panelled bar and high ceilings retain their Victorian character. According to the Shepherd Neame website, the pub still has the original 19th century cooker used to roast coffee beans.
The Beer
Being owned by Shepherd Neame you can expect the usual beers from them such as Spitfire, Bishop’s Finger, Master Brew, Autumn Red and seasonals such as Early Bird.
Visiting the Pub
The Jamaica Wine House, or the Jampot as it’s known to locals, is tucked away down an alley off Cornhill so is easy to miss. Whilst you are exploring the alleyways you may also want to visit Simpsons, an historic chop house.
Like almost every other pub in the area, the Jampot is only open Monday – Friday.
More Photos of the Jamaica Winehouse
Venue Location
Jamaica Winehouse
St Michael’s Alley
City of London
EC3V 9DS
Tel: 020 7929 6972
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