The last things I expected to find in a coffee shop in the middle of America were a replica of the black front door of No. 10 Downing Street, home of the British prime minister, and brass signage from Victoria Railway Station, London, indicating that trains leaving for Brighton would call at Three Bridges and Hayward’s Heath in Sussex. When I sauntered into Henry’s Coffee Shop and Bar, 11 E. Eighth St., there they were – together with other whimsical artifacts that help create a quirky, fun atmosphere reminiscent of older English pubs.

These establishments, with their shabbily chic decor, are places where families can gather under one roof in different rooms to eat, drink, relax, play games, chat, or just sit and read. When David Boulter and Sue Mee acquired the Lawrence property in 1998, and converted the downstairs to the present coffee shop, they aimed to make Henry’s such a place. Boulter’s English great-grandparents moved to Greeley, Colo., from Sussex in 1886 and passed on many English customs to him, including the importance of tea and conversation.

“My grandmother, Fanny, drank tea every day of her life, and she lived until she was 103 years old,” he said.

He and Mee visited England and Europe many times, loved the atmosphere in the coffee shops and bars, and wanted to recreate something similar in downtown Lawrence.

“We wanted a place where world travelers and locals of all generations could feel at home and have an opportunity to converse and have fun over a variety of quality drinks and snacks,” Boulter said.

“We called it ‘Henry’s’ because Eighth Street was originally named ‘Henry Street,'” Mee said.

Mee’s children, Charles and Samantha, and son-in-law Brent Piepergerdes, a doctoral student at Kansas University, run and manage the business. They have traveled extensively in Europe and love welcoming guests from all over the world – many of whom they’ve met abroad.

“We love hosting international language clubs like the Brazilian, Spanish and French ones,” Piepergerdes said.

World time is marked on a series of wall clocks set to international time zones, while a large railway clock, reminiscent of the one at Victoria Station, marks local time. International flags are painted in the background.

The downstairs coffee shop, with indoor and outdoor seating for up to 41 people, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. The large front window provides great light for reading the wide selection of papers and books available, while the lighting gradually dims nearer the back alcove to create a feeling of privacy for those who want reflective time or private conversations.

In addition to the usual array of coffees found in most places, Henry’s serves in-house specials like “crÃme brulatte.” Regular customers Harold Torrence, a KU professor, and student Eric Bruner, from Chanute, both like the regular coffee, which is specially roasted and blended in Topeka. They discussed the logistics of teaching linguistics while they sipped. There’s a good selection of muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, pita hummus plates and raw fruit available for munching. Plans are afoot to create new snacks to celebrate the 10th anniversary this year; if you want to request a favorite, now is the time to ask.

The tea selection is limited to certified organic Numi tea bags. The word “numi,” Arabic for “citrus,” is the trade name for the Tea Company founded in California in 1999 by Ahmed Rahim and his sister Reem, a biomedical engineer turned professional artist. She designs the tea bag packaging and paints small black oil paintings on tin plates with sayings like “sipping thoughts of peace, hope illuminates my way.” The Rahims believe “art and tea go together as ways to help us revive our spirits and experience the simple pleasure of life.” I drank in these thoughts while examining the exquisite details on the teabag cover, over a piping hot cup of Chinese breakfast tea.

You can take your tea and this concept further by visiting the upstairs bar area (open daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.) to see monthly exhibitions by local artists. Seating is arranged in the different nooks and crannies around the specially designed conversation bar and three-sided fireplace, creating a sense of space as well as intimacy.

If you want to experience a fun, old-fashioned European style coffeehouse, Henry’s is a good place to start; I’ve been back several times.