The Cat's Whisker

The Cat's Whisker was a coffee bar and entertainment venue located at 1 Kingly Street, at the corner of Kingly Street and Beak Street in Soho, London. It operated during the mid-to-late 1950s, a period when coffee bars, small clubs and informal basement venues became important meeting places for young people and emerging popular musicians. The business was started by entrepreneur Peter Evans and was among the early coffee bars to install a jukebox. Its central Soho location placed it close to Carnaby Street, Regent Street, Hamleys and London's theatre district, allowing it to attract students, journalists, sports figures, theatre-goers and other nightlife customers. Espresso was reportedly sold for one shilling a cup, while the venue also served as a place to listen to music and socialize before or after theatre performances. In 1956, Evans engaged Hank Huffner to remodel the venue's cellar into a more specialized live-entertainment space. The L-shaped basement was deliberately discreet, with no obvious indication of its presence from the ground floor. Its décor included primitive paintings of cats chasing mice and six stone cats used as light sources. The room was initially associated with Spanish-style dancing, including performances by guitarist Jose Feller and dancer Carmen Ballisteras, who had previously worked with the Ballet Espagnol de Pilar Lopez. The basement later became a lively gathering point for Spanish dancing, live rock 'n' roll and skiffle. The venue is particularly associated with the development of hand-jive. Because the crowded basement left little room for conventional dancing, patrons developed a style based on coordinated hand gestures, claps and movements directed at different parts of the body rather than footwork across the floor. This made the venue an example of how the physical limitations of small postwar entertainment spaces could influence popular culture. The Cat's Whisker operated alongside The 2i's Coffee Bar in helping to nurture London's early pop and skiffle circuit. Musicians who appeared there or visited after engagements elsewhere included Cliff Richard, Lonnie Donegan, Terry Dene, Tommy Steele, Barry Warren and the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group. The performers were often paid in informal forms such as coffee and Coca-Cola rather than substantial fees, reflecting the small-scale economics of the scene. Photographer Ken Russell documented the energy of Soho nightlife at the venue before becoming known primarily as a film director. His photographs later appeared in the Soho Nights exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery in London in 2008–2009. The Cat's Whisker was closed by the police in 1958 because of overcrowding. Following the closure, Peter Evans used the site for the first Angus Steak House, beginning a broader career in London restaurants and nightlife. He later established the Peter Evans Eating Houses chain and the Raffles nightclub in King's Road, Chelsea. The original Cat's Whisker site was subsequently occupied by other businesses; by 2009, it had been replaced by the Korean restaurant Myung Ga. The Cat's Whisker therefore survives primarily as a historical venue associated with Soho's 1950s youth culture, rather than as an operating coffee or entertainment brand.

The Cat's Whisker was a coffee bar situated in Soho, London, at the junction of Kingly Street and Beak Street. It was established by Peter Evans during the mid-1950s and became known for combining inexpensive coffee-bar service with music and entertainment. The location was close to London's theatre district, Carnaby Street and Regent Street, and attracted a mixed clientele that included students, journalists, athletes, theatre-goers and young music enthusiasts. It was also one of the early coffee bars to use a jukebox, helping make recorded popular music part of the venue's everyday atmosphere. In 1956, Evans hired Hank Huffner to convert the cellar into a more distinctive live venue. The basement was an L-shaped room decorated with cat imagery and six stone cats that served as light sources. It was not clearly advertised from the ground floor, giving it an exclusive and concealed character. Early performances included Spanish dancing, with guitarist Jose Feller and dancer Carmen Ballisteras among the performers. The venue subsequently became associated with live rock 'n' roll, skiffle and youth-oriented nightlife. The basement's cramped layout contributed to the emergence of hand-jive, a form of dancing based on hand gestures, clapping and movements made against different parts of the body. Unlike conventional dancing, it required little lateral movement and could be performed in a crowded room. The Cat's Whisker, together with The 2i's Coffee Bar, formed part of the small network of Soho venues that supported Britain's developing popular-music culture. Artists such as Cliff Richard, Lonnie Donegan, Terry Dene, Tommy Steele, Barry Warren and the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group appeared there or were known to spend time there after engagements nearby. The venue also became a subject for photographer Ken Russell, who visited while working as a freelance photographer and documented the atmosphere of Soho nightlife. His images were later included in the Soho Nights exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery in London in 2008–2009. The Cat's Whisker was closed by police in 1958 because of overcrowding. Peter Evans then repurposed the site for the first Angus Steak House and went on to develop other London hospitality and nightlife businesses, including Peter Evans Eating Houses and the Raffles nightclub. By 2009, the original location had become a Korean restaurant called Myung Ga. The Cat's Whisker is consequently remembered as a short-lived but culturally significant coffee bar and music venue rather than a continuing commercial brand.

1. 2008Historical photographs shown in Soho Nights

   Ken Russell's photographs capturing Soho nightlife connected with the venue were presented in an exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery from December 2008 into February 2009.

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2. 1958Venue closed because of overcrowding

   Police closed The Cat's Whisker after overcrowding became unsustainable. The premises were later used for the first Angus Steak House.

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3. 1956Cellar converted into a live-entertainment venue

   Peter Evans hired Hank Huffner to refurbish the cellar as an exclusive live venue, adding distinctive cat-themed decoration and space for performances.

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A centrally located Soho coffee bar and youth-oriented basement entertainment venue combining inexpensive coffee, recorded music, live performances and informal dancing.

• Coffee and espressoBeverages

  Coffee was the venue's core commercial offering. The Cat's Whisker served espresso at a reportedly modest price and used coffee-bar service as the foundation for a social setting built around music, conversation and nightlife.

• Live music and dancingEntertainment1956

  The basement presented Spanish dancing, rock 'n' roll and skiffle performances. Its intimate scale made it a useful platform for emerging performers and helped establish the venue as part of Soho's early pop-music network.

• 1958Premises repurposed after closureStrategy

  After police closure for overcrowding, the original coffee-bar and music-venue operation could no longer continue.

  What changed. Peter Evans converted the premises into the first Angus Steak House.

  Aftermath. The Cat's Whisker brand ended as an operating venue, while the site entered Evans's subsequent restaurant businesses.

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• 1956Expansion from coffee bar into a concealed live venueStrategy

  The business sought to make its Soho coffee-bar location more distinctive by using its cellar for live entertainment.

  What changed. Peter Evans commissioned Hank Huffner to refurbish the cellar as an exclusive performance space with themed décor.

  Aftermath. The basement became associated with hand-jive, Spanish dancing, rock 'n' roll and skiffle, attracting musicians and young audiences.

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• 2008Photographs of The Cat's Whisker featured in Soho Nights

  Ken Russell's photographs of Soho nightlife, including images associated with The Cat's Whisker, were shown in The Photographers' Gallery's Soho Nights exhibition in London from December 2008 to February 2009.

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• 1958The Cat's Whisker closed because of overcrowding

  Police closed the Soho venue after overcrowding became a problem. The premises were subsequently used by Peter Evans for the first Angus Steak House.

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1. The Cat's Whisker