Located in the beautiful Cathedral Close, in Exeter is the timber framed Mol's Coffee House, dated 1596. The building was named after Thomas Mol, and Italian man, at a time when coffee had perhaps not even been introduced into England. Devon born explorer and buccaneer Sir Francis Drake is said to have used Mol's as a meeting place with people such as Frobisher, Greville, Hawkins & Sir Walter Raleigh. It may have even been during such meetings that Drake had planned how to foil the Spanish Armada. Drake was the fist English navigator to sail around the World between 1577 and 1580.
The building, with it's Dutch style 1880's gable, is now used as a map and stationary shop. Inside the building, a frieze bears 46 coats of arms, including those of Drake and Raleigh. It is also known to be the only building in Europe with a unique star-shaped ceiling. Not one of the 230 panes of glass is perfectly square.
