Blended loose leaf teas, cakes and a vintage vibe can be found at a tearoom nestled within Maman House antiques shop in Cliftonville.
With vibrant colours, a dark wood panelled bar, balloon back chairs and a projector and screen showing black and white classics The Orchid Room is an eclectic mix of glamour and days gone by with a modern flourish.
The tearoom is headed up by couple Rebecca Trueblood, originally from Massachusetts, and Aston Gregory who moved to the isle from London and got married last year.
Aston {pictured}, who recently retired from her role at the British Museum, said: “I retired from my museum career, we got married and decided we should stay in England but not London.
“We moved to Margate and wanted to do something. Rebecca used to work in a posh tea shop that sold teas and we both love tea and so opened the little tearoom in Northdown Road inside Maman antiques.
“It’s a very large building and used to be a shopping arcade and what is now an apartment was the Orchid Rooms ballroom.
“The unit was available and a beautiful bar from a closed down Ramsgate pub came with it and we thought we’d make it our hidden gem tearoom.”
The Orchid Room sells locally sourced black, green and herbal loose leaf teas with cakes and biscuits also available. Packets of tea can also be bought.
Varieties range from Earl Grey to Ginger Beer, Rhubarb & Custard and even a changing colour tea.
Aston says she and Rebecca, who is an artist and the one responsible for the gorgeous design of the business, chose Margate partly because it is by the sea but also because of its ‘bonkers vibe.’
Aston said: “I have been coming to Margate and Margate Pride for several years and years ago stayed at the Walpole Bay Hotel. Massachusetts is also by the sea so we chose an artistic, queer community by the sea but still within reach of my parents.
“Since we moved here last year we have met some cool people and we now have this beautiful, unique space to offer to the community.”
Aston, who has a passion for 20s and 30s clothing, vintage and Art Nouveau, says she and Rebecca want to welcome everyone and is planning to add more events to the regular tarot reading days, such as a vintage cartoon club, afternoon cabaret as well as making the Orchid Room available for parties, meetings and clubs. Customers can also pose with the tea room ‘moon’ for an unusual snap.
The couple are also interested in the history of the site which was once a Bobby & Co store with restaurant/coffee shop with the Orchid Ballroom above whose resident bands included The Lower Third, which a young David Bowie used to be a member of.
Aston said: “I’m really keen to hear the stories from people who remember it from years back.”
The Orchid Room is open Friday-Sunday 11am to 5pm and Monday and Thursday 1pm-5pm.
Aston will also be taking part in the annual Northdown Road Block Party on Saturday {December 7} and will be giving away free tea samples, tea tasting, mince pies and tarot readings from 2pm to 4.30pm.
I don’t understand why they feel they need to highlight their sexualty, the article should be regarding what their new business offers. If I was opening a business I wouldn’t feel the requirement to state my sexualty. I would wholly focus on the product or service I would be providing. I have news for them, you don’t have to be homosexual to provide a safe environment for all sections of the community.
Where is tea grown in Thanet to be locally sourced?
Cauliflower and cabbage leaf blend
Now the locally sourced herbal tea mix may also be smoked ?
Remember with a tear in my eye all the local tea pickers on the tea plantations ,baskets on their backs – before it was built on
I asked them this, their reply:
“It’s blended by a local company, https://chaiwallahmargate.co.uk/ “
Thanks
Strange opening hours!
I can find no record of David Bowie ever performing at the Orchid Ballroom in Margate. Bowie joined The Lower Third every Thursday evening for their residency at Cliftonville Hall in St Paul’s Road from June to August 1965.https://www.bowiewonderworld.com/tours/tour58.htm
It would be nice to see any evidence the band played a residency at the Orchid ballroom as well.
It’s not saying David Bowie performed there but The Lower Third was a resident band and Bowie was once a member of that band.