Syd's coffee stall operated from Calvert Avenue,

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

, in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, between 1919 and 2019. It was established by

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

veteran Sydney "Syd" Tothill in a specially built carriage and occupied the same site throughout its life. The carriage eventually received connections to the electricity, gas and water mains and, being unable to move, had kerbs erected around it when the road was resurfaced. Three generations of the Tothill family operated the stall before it closed on 20 December 2019. The owner, Jane Tothill, donated the carriage to the

Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall, London, Gui ...

History

Early years

The stall was established by Sydney "Syd" Edward Tothill in 1919. Using money from his

soldier's disability pension he commissioned a carriage from a coachbuilder on Hackney Road, Shoreditch. The completed vehicle, in

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

with etched-glass windows and brass fittings, was set up as a coffee stall on Calvert Avenue, near to the corner with

Shoreditch High Street Shoreditch High Street is the old main street of Shoreditch, London. It is part of the A10 road and connects Norton Folgate to the south with Kingsland Road to the north. It constitutes a segment of the Roman Ermine Street, which ran directl ...

. Although built as a carriage the stall remained in the same location throughout its life. The stall initially sold Camp Coffee, tea, cocoa and Bovex ("a poor man's Bovril") and snacks. The most popular food item was the "sav and a slice": a saveloy sausage (sourced from Wilsons German butchers in

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. I ...

), sliced bread and mustard. The stall is said to have been the first of its kind to receive mains electricity when Syd tapped into a nearby lamp post in 1922. The lamp post has since been replaced but the mains feed to the stall remained, under licence from the local council. Gas and water main supplies were later introduced, replacing the original coal fire and water churn. In 1932 the stall featured in the film '' Ebb Tide'', being removed to Elstree Studios briefly in 1931 for filming. It was rumoured that the British king of 1936,

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

visited the stall in disguise.

Second World War

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Syd's coffee stall received a special licence to remain open during the hours of the blackout to provide refreshment to

Air Raid Precaution Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s an ...

wardens and emergency service personnel. During

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

a bomb fell on Calvert Avenue; the stall was protected from the blast by two London buses which had parked nearby but Syd Tothill's wife, May, was wounded by shrapnel. Owing to May's injuries Syd had a nervous breakdown and the running of the stall fell to their young daughter, Peggy. The Mayor of Shoreditch wrote to the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

to appeal for the release of Syd's son, Syd Junior, to take over the stall. This was soon granted with Syd Junior being recalled from a secret mission with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Later 20th century

After the war, Syd Junior continued to operate the stall which he expanded into an external catering business named Hillary Caterers after

Sir Edmund Hillary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached t ...

who scaled Mount Everest in 1953. Syd Junior became the youngest ever president of the Hotel and Caterer's Federation and a

freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

. He was also the only caterer ever granted a licence to sell food on the steps of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

. In the 1960s, Calvert Avenue was resurfaced, its original 19th-century cobbles giving way to modern asphalt. Owing to the stall's utility connections it could not be moved and so the council erected kerbs around it and surfaced up to these. The original cobblestones can still be seen under the stall. Syd Tothill's granddaughter Jane Tothill was the third and final member of the family to run the stall, doing so for the last 30 years of its operation. She claimed the stall was the oldest still operating in the whole of London. During its final years the stall was open five days a week between 5:30 am and 5:00 pm and its most popular snacks were ham or bacon sandwiches.

Closure

The coffee stall was established in a working-class part of the city but struggled with the

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

of the area which brought new coffee bars. After the stall celebrated its 100th anniversary Jane Tothill announced that falling trade had forced its closure and it closed for the final time on 20 December 2019. Tothill also announced that she was donating the stall to the

Hackney London Borough Council Hackney London Borough Council is the local government authority for the London Borough of Hackney, London, England, one of 32 London borough councils. The council is unusual in the United Kingdom local government system in that its executive fun ...

will assist with the relocation of the stall which will have conservation work carried out on it before going on display at the Museum of London's new premises in the former

Smithfield Market Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly ward of the City of London, England. Smithfield is home to a number of City institutions, such as St Bartho ...

from 2024. The curator of social and working history at the museum said that the stall is "an invaluable piece of our shared history as Londoners". The carriage was removed from the street on 11 January 2020.

References

{{reflist 1919 establishments in England 2019 disestablishments in England British companies disestablished in 2019 British companies established in 1919 Collections of the Museum of London Shoreditch