Mol's Coffee House is an historic building and

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. It is a Grade I Listed building. The house is in the northern corner of Cathedral Close, adjoining Cathedral Yard and overlooking Cathedral Green and the North tower of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

. It is alongside St Martin's Church.

History

The building was used as a

custom house A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

from the late 16th century. In 1726, the building opened as a coffee house called Mol's. It was run exclusively by women until it was closed in 1829, the first of these being Mary Wildy. In 1833, the building became an art gallery occupied by

John Gendall John Gendall (c. 1790 – 1 March 1865) was a British Painting, painter known particularly for his landscapes of Devon. Gendall was involved in the early use of lithography in London. He was born and died in Exeter, where he assisted with the ...

. Mol's Coffee House was saved from being damaged by the fire that severely damaged the nearby

Royal Clarence Hotel The Royal Clarence Hotel is a former hotel in Cathedral Close, Exeter, Cathedral Yard, Exeter, Devon, England. It is often described as the first property in England to be called a hotel; however, The German Hotel, London, was described in this ...

in 2016.

Architecture

The building is of four floors with a timber-framed front. A central panel painted with the

Royal Arms The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, also referred to as the royal arms, are the arms of dominion of the British monarch, currently Charles III. They are used by the Government of the United Kingdom and by other The Crown, Crown instit ...

was installed circa 1885, replacing a carved version. The third storey features a distinctive curly

Dutch gable A Dutch gable or Flemish gable is a gable whose sides have a shape made up of one or more curves and which has a pediment at the top. The gable may be an entirely decorative projection above a flat section of roof line, or may be the terminat ...

of 19th century construction. The first floor interior geatures late 16th century oak panelling and carvings.

References

{{Reflist 16th-century architecture in England Buildings and structures in Exeter Coffeehouses and cafés in the United Kingdom Custom houses in the United Kingdom Grade I listed buildings in Devon

History

Architecture

See also

References