Somers Town Coffee House, London

Purpose built pub as part of the Ossulston Estate housing development between 1927 and 1931 that replaced an older pub (formerly a Coffee House) from the 19c. It is grade II listed as part of Levita House, the southern part of the Estate. It is two storeys of rough cast walls with an attic. There are two vestibule entrances at the front with wooden glazed screens which seem to a result of a 2011 refurbishment.

The interior is now one large room with a L-shaped bar counter off-set to the left and a room to the left rear separated by a folding door which is modern, replacing what seems to have originally been a sliding door. The 2011 refurbishment resulted in the modern bar back with small coloured tiles which is at odds with the 1930’s three quarter height wood panelling that runs throughout the interior. The bar counter is formed of large wooden panels divided by plain carved columns topped with decorative brackets.

There is a passage behind the bar leading to the toilets and stairs to the upstairs (private). At the back of the left hand room is a large fireplace. The white painted ceiling is divided up into oblong sections with moulded cornices. There was a fireplace on the left hand wall in the front bar but this is now covered up by the wood panelling. On the opposite right hand wall is another fireplace. Bare polished wooden floor boards (modern) with new quarry tiles at the front of the bar counter. Note the thin band of coloured terrazzo along the bottom of the bar counter which may have been part of a trough but now gone or covered over by the new quarry tiles. The large right hand vestibule has stairs leading down to the Cosy Kettle Cocktail bar. Look for the tubular steel and leather backed chairs which look to be of 1930s vintage

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