Coffee Crawl Day #3: The Provost Café, Grahamstown

The Old Provost, Lucas Ave, Grahamstown, 6139

We knew that making a stop at the Provost Coffee Shop was a must even before we swung into Grahamstown on our way to Port Alfred. We had done our research about the place, and simply based on that, we knew where we wanted to be. This is one of those coffee shops that we had read about and were really looking forward to visiting, so needless to say, the stakes were high… after all, who doesn’t want to share a drink with your family in the peace and quiet of a prison courtyard? Yes, you can read that sentence again, but that is definitely what was said.

This local hangout was one of the most fascinating coffee shops that I have ever visited. Located in what used to be the Old Provost prison, which has since been converted into a heritage site, customers can happily enjoy their beverage of choice from the inside of cells adapted to form private little coffee rooms – don’t worry though, you are free to leave whenever you’d like.

The prison was originally built in a Panopticon structure, which was a clever mental tactic first coined by a British philosopher called Jeremy Bentham. Simply put, there is an “inspection house”, which used by guards and placed at the centre of the building, and is then surrounded by the cells in the courtyard. The windows are positioned in a way that although the guards could see out, there was no way that the prisoners could look inside to note whether or not they were being watched, giving an incentive to be on constant best behaviour.

However, this way back in the 1800s, and since then, the Old Provost has been renovated to become the Provost Café. In place of the inspection house, there is now a coffee bar, whilst the courtyard and surrounding cells house seating for customers. My family and I caught the coffee shop just in time, as it closed for the December holidays yesterday about an hour after we had finished our coffee.

Our cappuccinos were served in a cortado-style glass with a simplistic flower pattern as latté art, at exactly the right drinking temperature. Provost Café uses Masterton’s single origin Columbia blend for all of their coffees, which give their brews a distinct full-bodied aroma. Although the Columbia blend is quite a robust coffee with the potential to be a tad bitter, the coffee-to-milk ratio was perfect, which made for a strong and satisfying drink.

The experience of coming to this coffee shop and learning about its history is unparalleled to any other, because sitting there, you feel yourself part of the history that took place so many years ago. My mom put it very beautifully when she looked around her in awe, and exclaimed: “You would never think that the prisoners of long ago would ever have imagined that this ground would become a coffee shop.”

The element of surprise that comes with knowing the history of the prison, paired with the delightfully tranquil setting of Grahamstown sans students in early December, made for a very special visit – one that will be remembered for the length of a lifetime.