Stylemum / 24 August 2025 / Categories: City, What to see, Useful Guides

The Chapel Taxi Shelter on Wellington Place

The green hut is the final example in our capital of the historic wooden huts and it's protection by DCMS means the 13 huts around London are all now listed buildings

As you all know i love my neighbourhood of St Johns Wood and when I found out about the Chapel Shelter, it's history and the fact it is run by a charity The Cabman's Shelter Fund it made me want to support more.

If you have a passion for red telephone boxes and enjoy seeing them as part of UK heritage then you will be even more enamoured by the historic green huts dotted around London as there are only 13 of these and we are lucky enough to have one on Wellington Place next to the park and of course adjacent to the taxi rank where I often pick up a cab into the west end or wherever.

Grabbing an Uber has become part of our kids narrative and whilst I can say I never actually taken an Uber preferring a traditional black cab I know the cabbie's around London business is suffering. On a side note if you like the idea of hailing down a black cab wherever you are in the City, someone always around to pick you up and drop you off we have to support their business.

The Chapel Shelter or green hut as it's affectionately known to the locals and cabbies it serves isn't fancy. You won't find a fresh mint tea here but what you will find is the friendliest welcome in the area. Hot drinks, coffee and builders tea made with love and and served with a smile and probably the most affordable prices on the whole of the high street.

It's not fancy but there are plastic tables and chairs off to the side you can share with a hard worker taking a well earned break before going about their day or you can take your drink and bacon sarnie off to enjoy in the expansive London park next door, The St Johns Wood Church Gardens.

The food is simple grub, a baked potato and salad or cheese and pickle sandwich might be on the menu. They do lots of hearty baguettes, the menu changes daily but you can get a delicious fish finger and tartar baguette for £6 or Chicken skewers, rice and salad for £8.

I cannot think of anywhere on the High Street where you can enjoy this kind of food for these kind of prices.

So the next time you are in the neighbourhood, maybe heading to the Cricket at Lords across the way spare a thought for the black cab drivers and enjoy this weird and wonderful historic piece of our history which I think we are lucky to have.

The Chapel Shelter is open every day from 7am to 3pm and whilst they do take card payments it's also one of the few places that won't turn their noses up if you try and pay by cash.

I absolutely love it.