Friends stir up a bit of history with coffee shop

Flat White, which opened in Elvet Arch, Durham City, last week, includes a section of the city walls, thought to date from the 13th Century.

The ancient wall stretches the length of the venue and is proving a talking point for intrigued customers.

Flat White co-owners Peter Angelsea and Patrick Clarke hope English Heritage will help them erect a plaque explaining the significance of the feature.

The friends, both from Durham, opened Flat White after converting a former pizza takeaway.

During the refurbishment, they also found two old lanterns bricked up in a hidden alcove, which are now displayed at the shop entrance.

The pair aim to bring a flavour of Australian and New Zealand coffee shop culture to the North-East.

Mr Clarke, a 24-year-old trained barista, said: “We offer coffee that’s properly made in a different environment from the chain stores.

“We’ve put a lot of hard work into this business and we’ve had fantastic support from family and friends. It’s all been worth it as we’ve had excellent feedback from everyone involved.”

Mr Angelsea, 23, said there had been an amazing response from customers.

Early next year, the pair hope to secure an alcohol licence and serve drinks in “a wine bar atmosphere”

until 10pm.

They started the shop with Business Start advice from Be-Enterprising in Durham.