Topsham's Georgian Tearoom on the Market

Heather Knee has been something of a celebrity in British tea circles. Her scones and clotted cream bring raves. The cream is so special that Michael Caines, a Michelin-starred chef, sourced from her when he was on Great British Menu and asked for her secret. Her Georgian Tearoom was highlighted on the BBC’s Escape to the Country show and she was even invited to meet the Prince of Wales at Highgrove House. Knee estimates that her Georgian Tea Rooms have served two million customers. And now, the property, which includes the tearoom and a bed and breakfast, is up for sale. Broadway House, a three-story Georgian style red brick building with large bay windows, is located in Topsham, Devon. It was constructed in 1776 and has lived many lives. It was a museum, a doctor’s home and office, and before the tea room, low-end rooms for rent (or “bedsits.”) Currently

The Georgian Tearoom is on the ground floor and Knee and her husband Gerald also operate a ten-bedroom bed and breakfast above. The sale price is $1.4 million (£940,000). Knee hopes that the new owners continue the tearoom and B&B but the selling agent thinks it is more likely to become a hotel or a private home. Knee makes all the scones, some sixty or more, for tea service each day. She also makes the jam and clotted cream. The tearoom has earned “Best Tea Room” from Devon Life magazine for seven consecutive years. Heather and Gerald purchased the property in 1985 and spent the next five years rehabbing and renovating the building. The tea rooms opened its doors in 1990 and in the late 1990s, the bed and breakfast portion opened. SOURCE: The Telegraph