Cowley Club

London Road is unfortunately dominated by horrible discount supermarkets and shops, so the presence of the socialist Cowley Club is a brilliant success.
In recent weeks The Cowley Club has tried to sell itself a bit better, taking down the wooden boards that previously blocked up the windows. The Cowley Club is a great example of a community project, the food is all homemade and cheap, always being provided by one of many volunteers.
You can also read a number of books for free, while they might not be the most modern or clean, they’re still great. This is a great place to have a cheap cup of tea that’ll go some way to supporting this local club.

Being firmly situated in a consumer area, in a rather culture conscious city, I wouldn’t use the phrase counterculture to describe this place. I also wouldn’t use the phrase timewarp, as there’s nothing nostalgic or retro about the place. With an interesting collection of rather principled books this café/​venue may be quite left-​wing but in my opinion this gives it character. Frankly if serving vegan food and hosting regular live events from music to spoken word is deemed counterculture then what kind of repetitive, uneducated world do we live in? Yes, it’s probably going to satisfy only the kind of people with a particular tolerance for what some might see as «hippie fervor». I however see it as a great little place for anyone with just a bit of taste and moral sensitivity.

This remarkably well-​intentioned library/​café is just the kind of thing Brighton is famous for. The integration of vegan food, live performance and an ethical book collection make this place a real gem. Whether you’re a vegan or not you should check it out at some point. The titles in their book collection may look more like an activist’s reading list than a library but in such morally barren times what’s wrong with a little left wing enthusiasm? It’s a shame I don’t live closer to this place as I’m sure I’d visit fairly regularly, however, I wouldn’t make it my café of choice as there’s only so much subliminal canvassing one person can take.

The door to the Cowley Club is boarded up except for a tiny peephole that is greeted by with an eye upon knocking, all rather hush hush. This is a members club, of which membership can be obtained by two recommendations from current members (just find someone already in there, they’re pretty easy going). Once you’re in its relatively standard, it’s part café/​meeting area and part night time venue. The food here can be hit or miss depending on who is in the kitchen on that day, as it is run by volunteers different people cook they’re favoured dish. But more often than not they’re cheap and tasty. The bookshelves are full of political and environment material and The Cowley Club has been associated (rightly or wrongly) with anarchists and such. I would recommend trying to attend an evening party, you’ll need your membership for this though.

The Cowley Club is a social centre situated on the London Rd. It is run entirely by volunteers and designed to support local grass roots political thought and action. By day you’ll find a vegan café and bookshop selling interesting radical literature. In line with the centre’s ethos the food is really reasonably priced and any small profit margin goes back into supporting the organisation. The food is far more nutritious and interesting than anything you’ll find in the immediate surrounding of the London Rd! By night, the Cowley Club becomes a members bar/​venue and I’ve often walked past to the sounds of ska or punk, though they do all sorts of gigs and events. As well as gigs they hold regular film and pub quiz nights and also do themed meal nights too!
My one issue with the Cowley Club is that it can often feel quite intimidating and operating a member’s only policy at night creates a bit of an elitist vibe, which I think jars with the club’s ethos. However, I think it’s worth getting past the intimidation, as this place is doing very important and interesting work and offers an alternative space to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee!

The famous Cowley Club is situated on the slum fest that is London road, a membership and charity organisation. Created as a place for like-​minded liberalists to get together in a alliterative venue, to have a coffee and conversation. The place is operated by volunteers and in every aspect, all the mismatched furniture is donated and all staff work for free.
The café is open Tuesday to Fridays from Midday to 4pm, during this time anyone is welcome. The café also entails a bookshop, where works on everything from feminist issues to vegan cooking can be found. In the evenings the bar is restricted to members of the 12 London Road Social Club only, to try & cut licensing costs. If you are interested in joining the organisation full details can be found on their website.
If you a liberal activist or just interested in liberal issues and fancy a coffee is a really interesting place to visit. Another one of those gems that you only find in Brighton.

Now here is place that offers something truly different. The Cowley Club is many things, a social centre dedicated to raising political awareness, a venue hosting an eclectic selection of live performances from bands to shadow puppetry, a restaurant/​bar offering home made vegan food and local brews, and above all a safe-​heaven for new-​age hippies who feel at odds with Brighton’s fashionable, hedonistic crowds and would rather dance intensely and unselfconsciously in surroundings where neither dress code or sense of hair hygiene are important virtues. The air is always filled with a welcoming, positive atmosphere and if you are not scared senseless by the uninhibited display of liberalism and the prospect of the odd political discussion then the Cowley Club might offer you something special.

Places like the Cowley Club make me very happy.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I happened upon it. Not being too familiar with Brighton at the time, I was walking up London Road a little unsure of myself on a quest to find the Duke of York’s Picturehouse (
). The more I walked the more despondent I got — talk about the Great British High Street, the grotty cheapo clothes shops, gambling dens and amusement arcades were practically giving each other a lap dance in the lower part of the street and I almost couldn’t bear to keep going (thankfully I did, the DOY’s (
) is fantastic).
The Cowley Club leaped out at me with its inconspicuousness — no lurid banners, branded coffee or bargain posters to be seen here. As I entered the poster-​papered walls, counterculture bookshop and pervasive air of calm put a big smile on my face and I settled in for a pot of marigold tea and a browse through the books. It was well worth the piddly £1-​something they charged me for three cupsworth, and I wondered if the people supping hot drinks at the nearby coffee conglomerate cafes knew how much they could save by shifting their custom.
If I lived in Brighton I’d be at the Cowley every week for cheap vegan food, interesting meetups, film nights and gigs. Hell, I’d even volunteer to work behind the counter once in a while and get to know the regulars. As it is, it takes around the same amount of time for me to get down to the place as it does for me to get to another similar alternative café — Pogo Café (
) in Hackney — so maybe I should stop making excuses and just go to both of them more often.

A commune, really, a top place for the alternative people. Opening hours are a little. unusual. they vary a great deal, but if you’re on London Road, and fancy a timewarp to the counterculture, then this is your place. Its unique.