Team loves hearing nostalgic tales after opening in one of the oldest cafe spots in Northampton town centre
A team loves to hear their customers’ nostalgic tales after opening in what is believed to be one of the oldest cafe spots in Northampton town centre.
Glory Church in St Giles’ Terrace launched Cellar Community Cafe in November 2025, in the hope of becoming a valuable resource for those living and working in the town centre – as well as being a caring and creative space.
They offer fresh coffees, juices, pastries, toasties and paninis, and the Cellar Community Cafe is also a place for programmes and events. This includes knit and natter, a jobs club, craft workshops and business networking, just to name a few.
Daniel Williamson has been part of the like-minded, loving and encouraging community at Glory Church for the past four years.
He assisted founder Timothy Adelegan with his vision to bring a community cafe to Northampton town centre, and Daniel took the lead in managing the venue.
This all began when the church opened its doors for a couple of days each week and invited people in for a hot drink and a chat. The idea was to open beyond a Sunday and that sparked the concept to develop this casual offering into something more established.
In late 2024, the opportunity came up to lease the basement space of the residential building opposite Glory Church. This used to be a cafe until it closed in 2020 and it remained dormant until now.
The team took a leap of faith and after they got the keys in January 2025, it was all hands on deck to get the premises ready to open to the public.
Reflecting on the first three months, Daniel told this newspaper: “The response has been great and it’s been an awesome learning journey. There is still as much energy as there was in the beginning.”
Tim added: “Older people who knew the cafe from 30 years ago have come in, including staff members. They said it’s one of the oldest cafes in Northampton, which is interesting.”
Visitors have praised the nostalgic experience at Cellar Community Cafe, as memories remain of what was previously there with a modern twist.
The quality of the coffee and food menu for an affordable price is also appreciated by customers, as the church was passionate about creating a premium service for less.
“We’ve been surprised about the popularity of the place,” said Daniel. “It shut down in 2020 and was dormant for five years. There’s one person every couple of days who says they used to come here and they share stories.
“It has a pretty impressive history and Northampton has changed so much over the years, but people are rediscovering this place tucked away just off the high street.”
The business ended 2025 on a high with a five star food hygiene rating and went into this year feeling optimistic, with customers immediately visiting as soon as they reopened for 2026.
Tim said: “We want to serve Northampton, not just the church and Christian community. We offer good food and a warm space. There’s buzz around our potential for the summer.”
Daniel concluded by commending the hard work of the volunteers of all ages, who have enjoyed the process of learning, meeting new people and sparking up interesting conversations.