The Proud Archivist – arts and food on Regent’s Canal
Canalside bar and arts venue The Proud Archivist. Photograph Nicola Duarte
With today’s London coffee shops prioritising free wi-fi for the sole laptop-user over their standard hot drinks and pre-packaged food offerings, it’s a far cry from the social space that once was.
Hoping to revive the traditions of the 17th and 18th century coffee house is The Proud Archivist, a new cafe-restaurant-gallery-venue with a diverse cultural and community programme to set tongues wagging.
Owner, Hector Proud, 42 of De Beauvoir Town says the idea is not only to put on a broad range of events, but to reflect the passions and desires of the people.
“Hackney is an extraordinary tapestry of flavours with a broad liberal mindset and it’s about understanding who we live amongst and making events for them.
“We want to programme a broad range of events for a broad range of people, and make it inclusive.”
From literature to comedy to history to sport, Hector is working closely with organisations such as Create London and The Shoreditch Trust as well as speaking to his local councillor to make sure his events really do reflect the interests of the public.
“We’re working close with these organisations to make sure we’re not just one big stomp of gentrification. The last thing I want to do is look back in three years and see just another big shiny gallery.”
Alongside locally roasted, specialist coffee, The Proud Archivist also has a daily-changing, seasonal British menu made with ingredients from nearby suppliers.
Mr Proud says: “The chef takes great pride in the daily delivery of ingredients. It’s a massively reassuring message to see him use every part of a cauliflower over three or four different dishes and then serve it up for a reasonable price. I call him a twinkly-eyed genius!”
Previously the managing director of Idea Generation gallery in Shoreditch, Mr Proud says the vision of The Proud Archivist came to him this time 25 years ago.
“The night it all started was the night of the Great Storm 1987. We were watching Blackadder where Mrs Miggins turns her pie shop into a coffee shop. The next morning we woke up and started reciting lines from Blackadder whilst the whole of England lay to waste.”
The Proud Archivist’s first exhibition, The Gathering Storm – The Album Art of Storm Thorgeson celebrates the work of late graphic designer, Storm Thorgeson who died in April this year.
Since his first work of album art in 1968, Thorgeson has designed covers for a variety of bands including Muse, Olivia Newton John and Pink Floyd in a career that spanned five decades.
Displaying previously unseen sketchbooks, photographs and shoot anecdotes, the exhibition reveals the process that went into the final design alongside the covers themselves.
The Proud Archivist, 2-10 Hertford Road, N1 5ET
I find it remarkable that Hector Proud is attempting to argue that he does not desire to stamp another shiny gallery on Hackney when The Proud Archivist charges £3+ for a cup of mediocre tea. It is also interesting that he is so gushing about his chef, when it wasn’t long after this interview that the chef left. The gallery never changes it’s exhibition and it is clear that Proud Archivist is clueless about what it is trying to achieve.
yet another advertisement for an identikit retail enterprise
Sue and Snoman you guys gotta get out more
I ‘get out’ quite a lot and so can say with some authority – the service here is appalling, the management utterly indifferent. Please avoid for your own sake!
Quite sad. Great space but doesn’t know what it is or what it’s staff are doing. We arrived at 12 for Sunday roast. We’re told roasts start at 1pm. We waited. We waited till 13.20 for the menus to be printed, when they were we were told the vegetarian option won’t be ready till 2. We asked if we could revert to the brunch menu then, they said no. We asked because it says brunch served till 4. They said no, today we have stopped it cos we only have one chef. It is a bit of a joke, which is a shame cos it’s a great location and space. It’s the sort of new build space place which goes bust and then someone comes along who knows what they are doing and make it a success. Avoid, unless you just want one coffee.
Average quality coffee at £3.15. Very pushy with ordering more and more, the manager informed me that they have a new policy: I can have their overpriced coffee in half an hour, then I have to order their £10 set menu breakfast…
The only advantage is large space. Junior staff are very friendly though. There are smaller coffee shops around with better food and much better coffee, created by people who love what they ‘re doing.
Trendy ‘art’ on the walls and ‘East London style’ decorative paraphernalia, t-shirts etc. all over. It’s definately not about creativity and community, it’s about colonising a creative area to cash in.
I’m sorry to say but! Horrible coffee and terrible food.
I ate half a pork and apple sandwich that I took back for the amount of cold fat it had. I has put me off eating meat for a while.
They also used to do good coffee, however they have a very demotivated waiters that can’t be arsed and they always confused. Cappuccino looks like a flat white. Bring back the girl that use to make amazing coffees! I don’t think I will be back anytime soon, even though it is been my local.