Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Ye Olde China Cup Restaurant, Park Road, Crouch End c1915
Taken outside 59 Park Road, the picture shows Miss Kit Lavell, (far left) who, I'm told, used to run Ye Olde China Cup Restaurant at this address. Second from the left is Sophie who used to run it with her. The identity of the men is unknown.
I haven't been able to verify the existence of the restaurant, but I did find the following short piece in the Illustrated London News on 20 March 1880. It uses a a similar name for the establishment to the one I was given, but it refers to the building's first incarnation as a working men's club :
Apparently the venture lasted till 1910. During the thirty years of its operation it hosted classes and meetings for various sports and social clubs. However, on 21 September 1910, the London Daily News carried an advertisement for the sale of the premises by the trustees. Whether it subsequently did become a restaurant, I don't know. The picture came from the great niece of Sophie and it may be that the family story has become a little twisted in the telling.
From what I've been able to fond out, it was used as venue for the local scouting movement and was known as Pax Hall.
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Comment by Hugh on May 7, 2018 at 23:46
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A longer article from the Ham & High is attached.
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Comment by Ruth on May 8, 2018 at 9:35
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Thanks Hugh! Very interesting. One of the more unusual Working Men's clubs names I've come across!
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Ruth, I had a quick rummage around Google after posting yesterday and found that coffee taverns were a movement that spanned the UK in the nineteenth century. The aim of them was to lessen the influence of alcohol in the lives of working men. Comfortable furniture and homey accents were aimed at encouraging men to linger (and stay away from the temptations of alcohol!) as they drank good quality, unadulterated coffee, tea, or cocoa. A reading room provided daily and weekly newspapers. A smoking room encouraged relaxation and card playing for entertainment.
From what I've found out, they didn't endure and this is, I imagine what came of the Crouch End one.
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Comment by susan kemp on August 11, 2021 at 9:36
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I found this interesting as my father later owned this shop late 1960’s until the 1970’s happy memories as a child in that shop photos on my page
Thank you
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In researching an unrelated topic, I came across aa article from the Hornsey & Finsbury Park Journal, in 1905 about the reopening of the premises, following redecoration. In the rather long article, we learn that the club had its roots in Hornsey Vale in 1869 when it was set up in a newly developed (now demolished) working class enclave.
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