"The Hoxton Square Coffeehouse was renowned for its inquisitions of insanity, where a suspected madman would be tied up and wheeled into the coffee room. A jury of coffee drinkers would view, prod and talk to the alleged lunatic and then vote on whether to incarcerate the accused in one of the local madhouses. Coffeehouses were democratic theatres of judgement. The way you dressed, your quick-wittedness, even the way you held your spoon - all were assiduously monitored and discussed''.

Dr Matthew Green