Curfew Tea Room and Garden
Welcome to Curfew Tea Room and Tea Garden, we hope you enjoy your rest in our old home. We have lived here for many years, with our 2 sons who come and go, our 4 cats, 1 dog, and many fish. Our beautiful cottage and garden have been here since the mid to late 1600s, making it one of the oldest houses in the village, possibly even the oldest. The cottage itself began as
3 much smaller farmers’ cottages but was converted into one home in the 1800s. There is a moving story dated 1696 about our cottage in St Margaret's Church which details the life of a village shepherd who lived here and who fell off the cliff in heavy fog on a very dark night. In his will he bequeathed some money to the Church who, in his honour, decided to use this bequest to ring the Church bell as a curfew in the dark winter nights: hence the cottage eventually became known as Curfew Cottage. You can read this story on a plaque in the village church. During World War 2 the house was shelled directly from France and was badly damaged through the roof. If you sit in the garden you can see where this shell landed by looking at the roof and seeing the difference in the roof tiles. At the right end of the cottage are the original tiles and then the lighter tiles are the replacements fitted after the War. The tiles on the roof over the kitchen were probably hung in the 1950s as this part was originally a post-war single storey extension but it received a first floor sometime later. It is believed that while it was a single storey it was a barber’s shop for a while but we know little about this part of its history. Since we have lived here we have endeavoured to undertake any renovations in a sympathetic manner respectful of its Grade 2 listing and its history. We hope you enjoy your visit to our tea room and come back soon, you are most welcome. Wendy and Keith
June 2015
