Ace Cafe Radio

This is your cafe, devised, designed and built by fellow petrolheads, so enjoy the ambience and make the most of the facilities and activities to ensure that its history lives on!

The way of expressing oneself, with the music and machines may have changed over the last few decades, but the spirit and motivation remains the same - individual and authentic! So set the wheels in motion and take a journey with us throughthe unique Ace Cafe London experience!

In 1938, a roadside cafe was established by the brand-new North Circular Road to cater to travellers, truckers and drivers passing through London. What started as a simple pit-stop to grab a cuppa became a backdrop for some of Britain's most dramatic moments - wild tales of teenage fights, burn-ups and record racing all to the soundtrack of Rock 'n' Roll served with a fry-up and a cup of tea. For over twenty years the Ace was a centre for all things speedy, greasy and loud.

ACE CAFE MOTORING HERITAGE

Once established, the owner’s thoughts turned to the motor trade and, in August 1939, he opened a service station with a battery of 10 pumps on adjoining land, with a spacious washing bay, showroom and repair shops. A fortnight later war was declared and petrol rationing was introduced. Things looked bleak and in November 1940 the cafe received a direct hit from a bomb and was completely destroyed. A temporary building was quickly erected so that business could continue, albeit on a limited scale.

Urged by patriotic motives, the owner soon turned his attention to war work and by 1943 new buildings had been erected with machine tools installed, with 120 people employed as direct contractors to the M.A.P., specialising in the machining of high tensile steel components for aircraft. By 1944 the Ace Service Station was operating engineering shops reputed to be the finest of their size in the country. During the war period the petrol station was kept open and was one of the very few that gave an all-night service.

After the war the machine shop closed and once again the dynamic founder of the business, Hugo ‘Vic’ Edenborough, had the showrooms redesigned with new plant equipment; he made representations to leading car manufacturers which led to him becoming a stockist for Austin, Standard, Triumph, Daimler and Lanchester, in addition to being appointed distributor for Citroen cars. The showroom could accommodate 25 vehicles and was believed to be the biggest in London, with a team of first class mechanics capable of handling any job from engine tuning to complete overhauls.

One employee, John Wyer, went on to manage the Aston Martin, Gulf Ford GT40 and Porsche 917 sports car racing campaigns, and Charlie Gee was a Bugatti expert. Racing driver Earl Howe was a regular at the Ace, along with many motoring journalists and photographers.

However, the sun was setting on the Ace. The cafe served its last cup of tea in 1969. After years of neglect as an office, a garage and a tyre shop, the cafe was reborn to huge fanfare in 2001 after the first successful Ace Cafe Reunion in 1994, organised by Mark Wilsmore, Robert Wilsmore and Chris Church.

Now the Ace is back, serving up Great British cafe food to the sound of bikes, motors and rock n' roll.

In 2018, we celebrated the 80th anniversary - a remarkable milestone for what began life as a simple transport cafe.

We are proud of our heritage - this is your cafe, and we want you to enjoy the food, music and machines.