Mol's Coffee House

Mol's Coffee House
Mol's Coffee House in 2013
General information
Location	1 Cathedral Close, Exeter, Devon
Country	England
Coordinates	50°43′24.24″N3°31′48″W / 50.7234000°N 3.53000°W / 50.7234000; -3.53000
Year(s) built	16th century

Mol's Coffee House is an historic building and coffeehouse in Exeter, Devon. ^[1] It is a Grade I Listed building. ^[2] The house is in the northern corner of Cathedral Close, adjoining Cathedral Yard and overlooking Cathedral Green and the North tower of the Cathedral. It is alongside St Martin's Church.

History

The building was used as a custom house from the late 16th century. ^[3]

In 1726, the building opened as a coffee house called Mol's. ^[3] It was run exclusively by women until it was closed in 1829, the first of these being Mary Wildy. ^[3]

In 1833, the building became an art gallery occupied by John Gendall. ^[3]

Mol's Coffee House was saved from being damaged by the fire that severely damaged the nearby Royal Clarence Hotel in 2016. ^[4]

Architecture

The bay windows and date panel

The building is of four floors with a timber-framed front. ^[2]

A central panel painted with the Royal Arms was installed circa 1885, replacing a carved version. ^[2]

The third storey features a distinctive curly Dutch gable of 19th century construction. ^[2]

The first floor interior geatures late 16th century oak panelling and carvings. ^[2]

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in Exeter

References

1. Cherry, Bridget; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1989). The buildings of England (2nd ed. extensively revised ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin books. ISBN   978-0-14-071050-2.
2. "MOL'S COFFEE HOUSE, Non Civil Parish - 1104060 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
3. Merritt, Anita (2023-11-09). "New plans for one of Exeter's oldest 'trophy' buildings". Devon Live. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
4. "Exeter Memories - Mol's Coffee House". www.exetermemories.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-04.