Roland Horne, founder of The Watch House coffee shops on Bermondsey Street and Tower Bridge, has today announced he will open a third this Monday 25 September on Fetter Lane in Holborn, three mins walk from Chancery Lane station.
The new site will also offer an all-day eatery and after-work cocktail bar, serving a concise menu of daily bakes and delicious modern European tapas-style dishes.
The Watch House ethos is dedicated to creating the freshest, highest quality products with exceptional taste. Heavy emphasis is also paid to interior and site design, retaining original features juxtaposed with modern elements, stemming from Roland’s previous architectural design career.
Akin to the other two sites, coffee will be served from 7am each day at Fetter Lane, roasted exclusively in Shoreditch for The Watch House by Ozone, alongside a hot and cold option breakfast menu, including the signature ‘Watch House eggs benedict (made using orange marmalade marinade)’.
For hungry City lunch types, The Watch House Fetter Lane will offer a concise grab-and-go menu of delicious handmade sandwiches, baguettes, and salads, as well as a selection of hot options and brunch board specials.
All dishes at the 30-cover site will be prepared daily using organic and locally-sourced ingredients, wherever possible. Further tasty goodies will be on offer from Fatties Bakery, Mork Hot Chocolate, The Sweet Tooth Factory and Knead Bakery.
From 5pm each evening, The Watch House Fetter Lane will transform into a cosy wine and cocktail bar, offering a selection of red, white, and rosé wines by the glass or bottle, as well as Roland’s take on gin-infused classics, and a signature day-come-night espresso martini. These will be accompanied by a concise menu of nibbles and small tapas-style plates including ‘Padron Peppers’ and meat & cheese boards, as well as ‘Jalapeno cornbread’ and ‘Triple cheese bon bons with chorizo aioli’.
Roland Horne launched The Watch House, a quality coffee bar and eatery, on Bermondsey Street in 2014, which is housed in an historic-listed watch house building. A second larger site followed in 2016 in Tower Bridge inside a former Victorian warehouse conversion, this time with more space for eating-in as well as takeaway. He chose these specific sites due to the history of the buildings and their pre-existing features, which is reflected in the meticulous design of each; from the raw materials, to the surface finishes and lighting. The new The Watch House site on Fetter Lane is no different.
The architecture was a key draw due to the unusual curvature of the roof, and will feature a suspended live garden, grass roof, floor to ceiling windows and bespoke Terrazzo bar, all designed to enhance customer experience, whether dashing off with takeaway lunch or afternoon snack, or the pleasure of being able to sit in.
Founder Roland Horne commented, “We are excited about launching the Fetter Lane site, our first in the City, and we believe a real show stopper. The unusual design of the building really drew me to it, and I can’t wait to bring our speciality coffee and homely handmade food to the area, as well as our evening cocktail bar offering – it’s always about quality and that’s what we proudly do across the board.”
