November 3, 2011 8.00 am This story is over 148 months old

Stokes to open cafe at The Collection museum

Museum cafe: Stokes are taking over the cafe in The Collection, set to open later in November.
Nick Peel, the fourth generation of the Stokes family to run the business

Stokes of Lincoln will open a new cafe this month at The Collection Museum.

Nick Peel, the fourth generation of the Stokes family to head the business, intends to add a contemporary twist to the business rooting back to 1902.

“Demand at our High Bridge cafe has grown so much since we extended the cafe area, and on busy weekends we have customers queuing outside the door,” Peel said.

“By taking over the running of the cafe at The Collection we’ll be bringing Stokes to a whole new audience – including shoppers in the Bailgate, visitors to Lincoln’s cultural quarter and city workers looking for lunchtime menus.”

Set to open on November 21, the cafe also plans to serve food all day (10am to 4pm) and organise activities in the outdoor area.

“Everything on the menu will be Lincolnshire’s finest, and we’ll be serving a great selection of teas and freshly roasted coffee,” Peel added.

Stokes originally had three sites in the city: High Bridge, Cornhill and Castle Square.

While the latter two cafes closed in the sixties, Stokes has existed at High Bridge since the 1930s, when it moved from its original site where Marks & Spencer now lies on the High Street.