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Goths, assemble! A new wine bar is set to open inside an 11th century church crypt in the City of London.
Humble Grape, Bow Lane – the seventh location for the wine bar and importer - will launch in the Norman arches of St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside this November. Better known as the Church of the Bow Bells, the church dates back to 1080, with the current building the work of Sir Christopher Wren, who rebuilt the church following the Great Fire of London in 1666.
The crypt dates back to the original church building, and it was home to vegetarian cafe The Place Below from 1989, before becoming the now-closed Café Below.
Humble Grape, Bow Lane will open next month and have space for 60 guests inside and 40 outside on the terrace. It’ll be pouring from over 500 bottles of wine, and will also serve European-inspired sharing plates, such as baked camembert, cheese and charcuterie boards, and steak.
‘Opening our doors within such an extraordinary setting is both humbling and inspiring,’ says Humble Grape founder James Dawson. ‘St Mary-le-Bow has stood for centuries as a place of gathering and community - values that resonate deeply with Humble Grape. We want Bow Lane to be more than a wine bar; it’s a place where people can connect, discover wines made with integrity, and feel part of something timeless.’
Humble Grape was founded in 2009 and the chain runs wine bars across the capital, including in Battersea, Islington, Canary Wharf, Fleet Street, Liverpool Street and Crouch End.
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