The Orchard, Grantchester, Cambridge (picture courtesy of gasindius)
Jeffrey Archer, David Attenborough, Cecil Beaton, John Cleese, David Frost, Stephen Fry, Stephen Hawking, Eric Idle, AA Milne, and Emma Thompson are just ten of the famous names that have taken tea in The Orchard at Grantchester near Cambridge. Yesterday afternoon, we followed in their foosteps, and enjoyed a late afternoon cream tea under a cloudy sky.
Planted in 1868, The Orchard really is a very special place, and nearly didn’t become a tea house at all. It was only when Mrs Stevenson of Orchard House served tea to students under the blossoming fruit trees one morning in 1897, that a great Cambridge tradition was started. Young King’s College poet Rupert Brooke loved the place, and even lived next-door in the Old Vicarage, now home to Lord Archer.
Becoming popular in the 1920s, by the 1980s The Orchard was attracting visitors by the thousand, and came perilously close to serving its last cups of tea, as the land was to be sold off for residential redevelopment. Rescued from this fate, one day the present owner intends to sell it off to the general public in small plots, so that it can be enjoyed by future generations of local and far afield visitors alike.
It’s hard to put a finger on what’s special about The Orchard, but special it undoubtedly is. There’s always a queue at the serving pavilion, waiting patiently to choose from a mouth watering selection of cakes, pastries, and cooked lunches. Tea is the foundation that The Orchard is built upon – and it offers a wide selection – but coffee is served, too. In a pleasant change from the high street chains, though, you can only drink basic filtered coffee at Grantchester; there are no fancy lattes or mochas here.
Sitting under the shady fruit trees in dark green canvas and wooden deckchairs, the relaxing atmosphere really weaves a magical over you, and it’s easy to imagine Victorian men bedecked in their hunting tweeds sipping their hot beverages alongside ladies in their hoop-dressed and parasoled finery, The Orchard really does evoke a bygone age, and it’s no wonder it’s attracted such a selection of luminaries to stroll through its leafy grounds.
Open seven days a week (closing at varying times depending on the season), The Orchard can be found in Mill Way, Grantchester, Cambridgeshire. Alternatively, if you’d like to take morning coffee, lunch, or afternoon tea in an enchanting setting, call 01223 845788 or visit the website to find out more. For that truly romantic Cambridge experience, though, why not hire a punt from the city and explore the River Granta, passing through Grantchester Meadows, and arrive at The Orchard in a little bygone style?
Time for tea? The Orchard comes highly recommended.
Tags: East Anglia
Did the owner ever offer small plots to the general public for purchase in order to save The Orchard from development, please?