Edward Lloyd (coffeehouse owner)

Lloyd's Coffee House was a coffee shop in London opened by Edward Lloyd (c. 1648–15 February 1713) originally on Tower Street, in 1686. The establishment was a popular place for sailors, merchants and shipowners, and Lloyd catered to them with reliable shipping news. The shipping industry community frequented the place to discuss maritime insurance, shipbroking and foreign trade. The dealing that took place led to the establishment of the insurance market Lloyd's of London, Lloyd's Register and several related shipping and insurance businesses.

Just after Christmas 1691, the coffee shop relocated to Lombard Street in December 1691. Lloyd had a pulpit installed in the new premises, from which maritime auction prices and shipping news were announced. From 1697–1698 Lloyd also experimented with publishing a newspaper, Lloyd's News, reporting on shipping schedules and insurance agreements reached in the coffee house. Merchants continued to discuss insurance matters here until 1774 when the participating members of the insurance arrangement formed a committee and moved to the Royal Exchange on Cornhill as the Society of Lloyd's.

The 17th century original shop frontage of Lloyd's Coffee House is owned by Lloyd's of London and has been re-erected on display at the National Maritime Museum. A blue plaque in Lombard Street commemorates the coffee house's second location (now occupied at ground level by Sainsbury's supermarket). It was fictionalized in the 1936 film Lloyd's of London.

The following is a list of organisations named after Lloyd's Coffee House:

Lloyds Bank and its related organisations are not named after the London coffee house; the bank was founded in Birmingham by Sampson Lloyd.

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