IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a place less ordinary to have a cup of coffee, try Host Café in London. Housed inside a functioning church, St Mary Aldermary, the sublime grandeur of this café is unlike any you’ve visited before.
The Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary is an Anglican church located on Watling Street at the junction with Bow Lane. Medieval in origin, it was rebuilt in 1510, and then rebuilt once more, after being severely damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666, this time by Sir Christopher Wren.
Over time, the church became increasingly underused, and in 2010, a community was established to oversee the care of the building. This community had the thought to provide hospitality to visitors, and so an application was made to the Diocesan Advisory Committee in May 2012 for a Certificate of Recommendation for the installation of a café.
Today, the Host Café serves direct trade coffee hand-roasted by Mission Coffee Works, along with brewed loose leaf teas from We Are Tea. Pastries are delivered via bicycle from the Little Bread Pedlar and the cakes come from Artisan Foods. There is organic soup with sourdough bread and homemade Mushroom and Walnut Paté as well as Beans and Sundried Tomato Paté. Visitors are even welcome to bring their own lunches and make use of the free Wifi. The café is run by both paid staff and volunteers, and we hear the coffee is simply divine.
Host café is 7.15 am – 4.45 pm Monday to Friday
(4.30 on Monday and Friday)
Watling Street
London EC4M 9BW
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