28 Aug WatchHouse to celebrate ten years on Bermondsey Street
The first ever WatchHouse coffee shop was opened in Bermondsey Street ten years ago by Roland Horne. It is now a chain of 20 spreading well beyond Bermondsey to The City, Bath and even New York. Quality and innovation are strong values in the WatchHouse business, seeking out the best beans, ensuring traceability and ethical practices, exploring rare beans from around the world and trying new methods. On Bermondsey Street Festival day, Saturday 21 September, there will be rare coffees and birthday cakes!
The Watch House was built 1810-12 to guard the graves in the churchyard from grave robbers. Originally, there were two matching buildings. The second housed an engine which could be used to pump water and help put out fires. Alongside, there were cages for wrongdoers. They fell into disuse when local councils were formed to take over these services from the church. In the 1900s, the Watch House was used as the office of Mrs. Ashford’s laundry.
WatchHouse is at 199 Bermondsey Street SE1 3UW. More here http://www.watchhouse.com