The history of coffee houses in Birmingham began in the distant 18th century. A distinctive feature of these establishments was that they were not just places to drink coffee. They were known to be intellectual centers where people came to socialize, exchange ideas, and discuss various issues.
For example, one of the oldest such establishments in the city, Freeth’s coffee shop, was located next to the Birmingham Book Club. Today, Birmingham has a vibrant coffee scene with modern independent cafés that have bakeries where delicacies are handmade and baked, located in historic parts of Birmingham. These establishments naturally attract both locals and numerous tourists, but the coffee era began with cafés such as Freeth’s. More details here: birmingham1.one.
Birmingham coffee shops
By the 18th century, establishments serving coffee, i.e., coffee houses, were quite common in England. Their operation differed somewhat from what we see today. For example, some of them charged an entrance fee. There were also those where entry was only possible by invitation or if you were a member of a certain club. In these coffee houses, customers were served coffee of varying quality, where you could drink and, if possible, enjoy other entertainment, such as lively discussions with other coffee lovers. Or you could buy some other goods.
The Georgian period, which is known to have stretched over more than a century, was marked by remarkable economic development, which in turn fostered the development of science, technology, art, literature and, perhaps most of all, ideas. At the time, Birmingham was a place where things happened very quickly. Thanks to the economic boom, the city’s population grew to such an extent that Birmingham became the third most populous city in the UK. There was an unprecedented rise in innovation and entrepreneurship for industry and business.
New communities and groups began to form intensively. All these social processes took place in certain areas. For example, in trade, science and commerce. One of the most famous such communities in the city was the Lunar Society. The name was meant to reflect the fact that it met in the evenings, and when the members of the society went home, the moon illuminated their path.
Among the members of the Lunar Society were famous scientists and industrialists. For example, James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus Darwin, Matthew Boulton and Joseph Priestley. This elite society gathered in the dining room of Soho House, Boulton’s stately home located two miles from the city center. In contrast, other groups, especially those with less affluent members, often met in ordinary public places such as hotels and coffee houses.
John Freeth’s
Against this background, John Freeth’s is not often mentioned in the more authoritative historical books. His life is the story of a man who was able to leave his mark on the memory of the local community, and even beyond. His life as a young man is not well documented. However, it is believed that he was an apprentice at a brass foundry, and after his parents died, he became the owner of the Leicester Arms coffee shop. It was known as the coffee house on the corner of Bell Street and Lee Lane. All this happened around 1768. By the way, John stayed there until his death in 1808.
There is a suspicion that John grew up in a liberal home environment, imbued with the ideas of liberalism. The coffee house was known as a meeting place for the Reading Society and, as they say, may well have been the predecessor of the Birmingham Book Club. It was this club that once provided the main subscribers to the Birmingham Library. It is therefore clear that a fundamental characteristic of Freeth’s coffee shop was the attempt to disseminate knowledge through the exchange of ideas and debate.
His contemporaries claim that his interest in life was pervasive, and at one point he even agreed to teach the sciences and doctrines of geography, with knowledge and use of the celestial and terrestrial globes. It is true that there is no evidence of John Freeth’s qualifications for this mission. It is more likely that it was more a reflection of the growing confidence and general desire of the society of the time for self-improvement and scientific development.
Features of doing business
For those times, Freeth’s was very successful in using a variety of marketing tools to promote his coffee shop, to increase its popularity and attendance, and thus his own income. For example, he had printed invitations with the catchy title “A Public Feast”. John Freeth’s advertised his coffee shop as a place where people talk about poetry and politics. That is, every evening spent at Freeth’s was accompanied by a catchy reference to some topical issue of the day. It could be the price of bread or the trial of Warren Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal, who was facing resignation for corruption and mismanagement.
Starting in 1760, Freeth’s began writing ballads and performing them in public. He later published these works in small collections under the title The Political Singer. Over the next few years, he wrote and published several more collections, including A Touch of Time, A Collection of New Songs, and A Warwickshire Potpourri. Interestingly, no one wrote original music for these poems, but each poem was usually set next to a suggested well-known melody of the time, on which Freeth’s lines could be set.
In fact, John Freeth’s himself was a supporter of the Whig party, which opposed the government of Prime Minister Frederick North. He increasingly sympathized with the American colonists in their desire for independence from British oppression. Freeth’s also supported the imprisoned radical journalist and politician John Wilkes. The latter was imprisoned for sedition and defamation, which were published in his magazine, The Northern Briton. Despite the fact that Wilkes had successfully stood for election three times, the House of Commons cancelled the results. But eventually, when he was released, he became a member of parliament, and Freeth’s celebrated with his club colleagues.
This story is not about coffee
As the story of John Freeth’s life shows, coffee shops of that time were not just about delicious coffee. Many other coffee shops in Birmingham did business in this way. Freeth’s became a popular place where both formal and informal groups that shared common political views gathered. The Jacobin Club was just such a group. The members of this society included, among others, a brass smelter, a surgeon, a lamp manufacturer, a publisher, a tin merchant, a cheese maker, and, of course, John Freeth’sh. The Jacobites favored progressive ideas, such as the Reform and Emancipation of Catholics Act, and generally promoted a sense of freedom, although they remained loyalists.
An interesting fact is that the neighboring Minerva Tavern was the venue for meetings of opponents of the Jacobites. Those who supported the Tories and strongly opposed the ideas they promoted. So, here, above the fireplace, there was a sign with the inscription: “No Jacobites allowed in here”.
At the time of John Freeth’s death in 1808 at the age of 77, he had been the owner of the establishment for almost forty years. That is how long his coffee shop, Freeth’s, had been afloat.
His death was recorded in the local newspaper, Aris’s Birmingham Gazette.
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