Newly refurbished tearoom at a National Trust site in Henley re-opened

On what was arguably the first sunny day of the year in Henley, the revamped space was revealed to members and visitors on Tuesday, February 17.

Previously, guests would enter the re-purposed shed up a ramp and manoeuvre anticlockwise around a central island before heading to the till.

Now, they can move freely in a clockwise direction, making it more accessible to wheelchair users, parents with pushchairs and dog owners.

New fridges stock drinks and a freezer holds ice creams. A selection of homemade and bought-in cakes are available at the counter, including the tearoom’s scone of the month.

Behind the counter, new tills and coffee machines have been installed, as well as a partition to separate the barista area from the kitchen.

At the front of the house, light-blue tiled partitions, which previously held empty milk glasses, have been removed, providing around 10 more seats, and the sofa seating area has been reupholstered.

Lottie Paley, food and beverage manager, said: “The idea occurred with our last manager, who helped put the plans together before it went to the board.

“The Trust do an all-round visitor sight experience, looking at where you start to where you finish and how to improve the entire layout for everyone, so it’s lovely that it’s been done. They’ve done an amazing job within the week that we had.”

Becky Griffith, marketing and communications officer for the National Trust in the Thames Valley, said: “At the heart of every visit to the National Trust is a visit to the tearoom, which is why people get so upset when it’s closed and which is why we’re so proud to open it again.

“The experience that we had in here was clunky and people didn’t know where they were going because it was hard to navigate the basics but now we have a lovely flow which has accentuated that lovely experience — it’s the cherry on the top.”