A 14th Century Cappuccino

What started as a simple Cappuccino in a local cafe, very quickly turned into a trip back in time and a quest for answers.

The Born and Bread Cafe and Bakery can be found on Sheaf Street in Daventry, Northamptonshire.

Offering a wide selection of home baked products as well as fabulous teas and coffees, this cafe is a treat by itself.

Look a little closer however and you may begin to notice things that peak your curiosity.

A cellar door in the floor and a Manager willing to show us what lay beneath.. Mini Adventure Time!

The cellar has long been sealed off from the neighbouring buildings. But, in the 14th Century the Monks from the nearby Monestary used these underground passages as a tunnel system.

This then begs the question as to why? Why was a tunnel system required for the Monks? Why couldn't they use the street like everyone else?

As there was still some time left in the carpark we decided to visit the town Museum to see if they had any answers.

To be honest, I didnt even know that Daventry had a Museum but there we were, and straight into questioning the staff. They were also aware of the Monks having used the underground tunnels, although they had no idea why.

They have kindly sent out an email request to the Friends of Daventry Museum to try and get some more information on this subject.

Whilst in the museum we were shown the original town charters from the fifteen and sixteen hundreds.

In more recent years, after a Police raid, it was discovered that the Sheaf Street Cellars had been being used to grow Cannabis. Maybe the Monks had also been using the the network for their own contraband. Who knows 🤷‍♂️

It's funny where a quick coffee can lead you :)