Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar in London by SHH Architects

Project Name

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar

Posted in

Bars, Café, Architecture, Public facilities

Opening Hours

Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat 10am-10pm, Sun Closed

Location

1 Vencourt Place Ravenscourt Park

London

WC2R 1LA

United Kingdom

Telephone

+44 (0)20 3751 0570

Detailed Information
Project Name	Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar	Posted in	Bars, Café, Architecture, Public facilities	Opening Hours	Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat 10am-10pm, Sun Closed
Location	1 Vencourt Place Ravenscourt Park London WC2R 1LA United Kingdom	Telephone	+44 (0)20 3751 0570	Email	[email protected]
Architecture Practice	SHH	Official Website	Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar

Somerset House, one of London’s major cultural institutions, is now home to the brand new café and bar Pennethorne’s. Situated on the west face of the neoclassical building, looking out onto Lancaster Place and Waterloo Bridge, the new day-to-night venue has been named after Sir James Pennethorne — the highly-reputed architect of the 19th century who was responsible for Somerset House’s 'New Wing' (which now houses the café/bar) as well as other landmarks in London. As was the case with so many people of his era who travelled around Europe on what were then known as ‘European Grand Tours’, Sir James did the same to discover the architecture of countries such as France, Italy and Spain in the early 19th century. Clearly influenced by what he saw, this piece of history has also inspired the interior design as well as the menu at the new café.

On the right, the 'Chef's Table' functions as a food display during daytime, and transforms into a communal drinking table at night. Photo by Gareth Gardner.

The cafés's menus hang from the Carrara marbe-clad Chef's Table. Photo by Gareth Gardner.

SHH, the studio behind the venue’s branding and interior design, has done a great job in referencing the story of Sir Jamesand the era he lived in but with a modern twist. Under the venue’s inky blue walls stand furniture in dark wood and bronze and a mix of new pieces and vintage finds, while a custom-made banquette in leather and navy blue velvet runs along the wall under the high windows that open out onto Lancaster Place. The elongated space is divided by a wall which has been covered with no less than 50 cameos of Sir James, each 25 cm high and an exact copy of the architect’s portrait. Visit Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar for freshly brewed coffee, beer, artisanal bakery items and eclectic small dining plates — ideally after a visit to one of Somerset House’s must-see exhibitions!

{YatzerTip} Currently on display at Somerset House: the UK’s largest ever retrospective of works by the revolutionary French fashion photographer Guy Bourdin!

The 'Brew Bar', covered in patent leather and Carrara marble, brews coffee during daytime and serves special beers and fine wines at night. Photo by Gareth Gardner.

A smaller room called the 'Drawing Room' functions as a spill-over area for busy days, and is also available for private events. Photo by Gareth Gardner.

SHH's Head of Brand Priya Patel has created a series of images to accompany the identity, using 19th-century cartoon illustrations of people, with their heads replaced by drawings of either fruit and veg or culinary utensils. Photo by Gareth Gardner.