De Hems is acafé,pub andoyster-house in theChinatown area ofLondon just offShaftesbury Avenue.[1] It made its name purveyingoysters and now sellsbeers from theLow Countries such asGrolsch andHeineken withDutch food such asbitterballen andfrikandellen.[2]
It is on the site of theHorse & Dolphincoaching inn which was built in 1685.[3] This was rebuilt in 1890 by the accomplished pub architects,Saville and Martin, for thepublican, Mr Crimmen.[4] It was renamedThe Macclesfield, being in Macclesfield Street,[5] and was soon leased by a retiredDutch sea captain called "Papa" De Hem who ran it as an oyster-house, charging ashilling andfourpenceha'penny for a serving.[6][7]
It was patronised byfin-de-siècleliterati such as the poetSwinburne, who travelled 10 miles daily to eat oysters at the longmarble bar,[8] andGeorge Sims who wrote aquatrain in praise:[9]
When oysters to September yield,
and grace the grotto'd Macclesfield,
I will be there, my dear De Hem,
to wish you well and sample them.
The rhyme alludes to the commonproverb that it is only safe to eat oysters when there is anR in the name of the month — after the hot summer months fromMay to August. Thegrotto referred to wasThe Shell Room upstairs, created from the discarded oyster shells which decorated its walls — some 300,000 at their peak.[10] Only a few now remain but the bar now claims to sell a similar number of pints ofOranjeboom each year.[citation needed]
In the early 20th century, literary figures such asClemence Dane continued to purchase the establishment's oysters,stout andchampagne for their theatrical celebrations.[11] In the 1920s, it became the hangout ofgangsters too.[12] WhenWorld War I started, patriotic Papa De Hem gave his staff £50 each to return to their threatened country. DuringWorld War II, after Holland actually fell to the German invasion,Dutch resistance exiles then met regularly at the pub which became their unofficial headquarters.[13][14] Another patron at that time was the notoriousspy,Kim Philby, who was friendly with thechef, who wore a tall white hat.[15]
In 1959, it was renamedDe Hems in honour of the captain and then, in the 1960s, it became popular withmusic industry people such asAlan Price,Georgie Fame[16] andAndrew Loog Oldham, manager of theRolling Stones.[12] At the turn of the new century, the venue hosted acomedy club — theOranje Boom-Boom Cabaret — which included the debut ofThe Mighty Boosh.[17]
However, the 1951-52Good Food Guide calls the restaurant De Hems earlier than 1959. Its entry reads: "Good English cooking in a restaurant lined with oyster shells. Choose shellfish when you can. Zealous manager, reasonable prices; wine slow in arriving, from a good and cheap list."[18]
In the early 21st century, De Hems was popular as a place to celebrate and follow the successfulDutch football team. During the2010 World Cup, hundreds of fans had to be turned away and manager Sian Blair had to hire a security staff of seven bouncers for the occasion. The upstairs and downstairs bars each accommodated a hundred cheerful revellers for these big matches.[19]
Media related toDe Hems at Wikimedia Commons
51°30′43″N0°07′53″W / 51.5120°N 0.1313°W /51.5120; -0.1313
