Jamaica Wine House

Jamaica Wine House, locally known as “the Jampot,” is a historic pub in St Michael’s Alley, Cornhill, in the City of London. Its identity is closely tied to the early history of coffee drinking and coffee-house culture in England. The site is associated with a coffee house opened in 1652 by Pasqua Rosée, a servant of Daniel Edwards, a Levant Company merchant involved in trade with the Ottoman Empire. Edwards supplied Rosée with coffee and supported the establishment of the business, which became known in some accounts as the Turk’s Head. The premises are therefore widely described as the site of London’s first coffee house. The establishment’s early history reflects the international commercial networks that connected London with the Mediterranean, the Ottoman Empire, and the Caribbean. Its later name, Jamaica Coffee House, linked it to the West Indies and to commercial activity involving Jamaican cargoes. Historical records show that the coffee house served as a point of contact for people buying and selling goods associated with Jamaica. Newspaper advertisements also used the premises as a place to make inquiries concerning enslaved people who had escaped or been forcibly separated from their owners. This evidence places the establishment within the wider commercial and social systems of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Atlantic world, including Britain’s involvement in slavery and colonial trade. The building standing on the site today is not the original seventeenth-century coffee-house structure. It is a Victorian public house dating from 1885 and is Grade II listed. The building sits among the medieval courts and narrow alleys of the City of London, within the Cornhill ward. Its interior includes a wood-panelled bar divided into three sections on the ground floor and a restaurant downstairs, combining historic architectural character with contemporary pub and dining functions. The premises became associated with Shepherd Neame after the brewery acquired the pub’s licence. Following a restoration project, the Jamaica Wine House reopened in April 2009. It continues to operate as a City of London pub and restaurant, serving drinks and food to local workers, visitors, and people interested in its historic setting. The brand’s principal distinction is place-based rather than product-led: its appeal comes from the combination of a central financial-district location, a listed Victorian building, longstanding coffee-house associations, and a documented but complex connection with Britain’s colonial and slave-trading past.

The history of Jamaica Wine House reaches back to the emergence of London's coffee-house culture in the seventeenth century. In 1652, Pasqua Rosée established a coffee house at the site in St Michael's Alley, Cornhill. Rosée had worked as a servant to Daniel Edwards, a Levant Company merchant trading in goods from the Ottoman Empire. Edwards introduced Rosée to coffee and helped him establish a venue where the drink could be served commercially. The site is consequently identified in local and historical accounts as the location of London's first coffee house. A plaque on the building commemorates the earlier establishment and associates it with the sign of Pasqua Rosée's Head. The coffee house became part of the dense commercial world of the City of London. Coffee houses served not merely as places for refreshment but also as meeting points where merchants, brokers, shipowners, agents, and other participants in long-distance trade exchanged information and conducted business. The establishment later became known as the Jamaica Coffee House, reflecting its relationship with trade connected to Jamaica and the West Indies. Samuel Pepys is recorded as having visited the coffee house in 1660, an association that further connects the site with the cultural history of early modern London. The Jamaica Coffee House's commercial history also intersects with the history of the Atlantic slave trade. Surviving newspaper advertisements show that the premises were used as a contact point for the sale and purchase of Jamaican cargoes, including advertisements that treated enslaved people as property. Other notices sought information about enslaved and bonded people who had escaped from their owners. These records demonstrate that the coffee house was embedded in networks of colonial commerce and that its historical significance cannot be separated from the coercive economic systems supporting Britain’s trade with the Caribbean. The evidence includes advertisements concerning people connected with Jamaican plantation-owning families and individuals brought to Britain as domestic servants or otherwise held in bondage. The current building dates from 1885 and is a Victorian public house rather than the original seventeenth-century coffee-house structure. It stands within a network of medieval courts and alleys in the City of London and is Grade II listed. Its location is in the Cornhill ward, in the heart of the capital's financial district. The premises have a wood-panelled bar arranged in three sections on the ground floor, with a restaurant below. In the modern period, the pub's licence was acquired by Shepherd Neame. A restoration programme was completed in April 2009, after which the premises reopened. The contemporary Jamaica Wine House functions as a pub and restaurant, while its name, commemorative plaque, architecture, and location preserve its connection with London's early coffee houses. Its present identity is thus built from several layers: a hospitality business, a Victorian listed building, the memory of the first London coffee house, and a more difficult history involving imperial commerce and slavery.

1. 2009Restoration completed and pub reopened

   After its licence was acquired by Shepherd Neame, the premises reopened following restoration completed in April 2009.

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2. 1885Current Victorian pub building constructed

   The building standing on the site today dates from 1885 and later became a Grade II listed public house.

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3. 1660Samuel Pepys visits the establishment

   The diarist Samuel Pepys is recorded as having visited the coffee house, linking the site with the documented social history of early London coffee houses.

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4. 1652Coffee house established at the site

   Pasqua Rosée opened a coffee house in St Michael's Alley with assistance from Daniel Edwards. The site is widely associated with London's first coffee house.

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A heritage-led City of London pub and restaurant whose appeal combines historic coffee-house associations, a listed Victorian setting, and traditional hospitality.

• Pub drinksAlcoholic beverages

  The modern Jamaica Wine House operates as a traditional City of London pub, with alcoholic drinks forming a central part of its hospitality offer. Public reference material identifies the venue primarily by its pub and restaurant function rather than by a distinct proprietary beverage range.

• Pub and restaurant foodFoodservice

  The premises include a downstairs restaurant and provide food alongside drinks. Available reference material does not identify a specific signature dish, packaged food line, or nationally distributed product associated with the venue.

• Coffee-house heritage experienceHospitality experience

  Although the current business is a pub and restaurant, its distinctive offer includes the historic setting and interpretation of the site associated with London's first coffee house. The plaque, listed architecture, historic interior, and narrow City alleys contribute to a heritage-oriented visitor experience.

• 2009Restore and reopen the historic pubStrategy

  The historic premises required restoration while retaining their architectural and heritage character.

  What changed. Following the acquisition of the pub's licence by Shepherd Neame, the building was restored and reopened in April 2009 as a pub and restaurant.

  Aftermath. The venue continued operating as a hospitality business in the City of London, combining a listed Victorian building with its coffee-house history.

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• 2009Jamaica Wine House reopens after restoration

  The City of London premises reopened after a restoration project completed in April 2009. The restored venue retained its historic pub character, including a wood-panelled bar and downstairs restaurant.

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1. Jamaica Wine House
2. Jamaica Wine House official website