Heritage accolade for 1950s cafe

Cafe Pellicci has served coffee to the Krays

A 1950s London East End cafe has been awarded listed building status by English Heritage.

Cafe Pellicci, in Bethnal Green, which served coffee to the Kray twins, was awarded the Grade II listed status for its ornate panelled wooden décor.

It was carved by regular customer and carpenter Achille Capocci in 1946.

An EH spokesperson said the cafe was an example of rare and unchanged workmanship, representative of Italian café culture in post-war London.

Nevio Pellicci, 80, the cafe's owner, was born upstairs in the cafe.

Cafe Pellicci's interior was designed in 1946

He said that at first he was not sure what the status meant.

"It still hasn't really sunk in," he said. "But I am very pleased that the cafe has been recognised and even pleased about it for my mother who was responsible for getting the design carved in the first place.

"We're a family-run business and we try and make our customers feel as comfortable as possible. We're all very pleased that the cafe has received this honour."