The owner of a tea room in Wickham has confirmed that it is only temporarily closed - after the business provoked worry in the community by not opening as usual.  

A closed sign has hung in the window of the Old Tea House, in The Square, Wickham, and the place has been in darkness for the past few weeks. 

The upmarket café is run by Quob Park Estate, a 170-acre vineyard a few miles up the road, which also runs the Old House Hotel opposite. 

The vineyard business took over the tearoom, which used to be known as Lily's, and the hotel, reopening them both after extensive refurbishment and investment in April last year. 

Just a year on, the tea room was thought to have closed again, with a closed sign on the door and the doors shut, prompting residents to share the pictures on Facebook and speculate. 

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However, contrary to what had been thought, the primary owner of the business, Rob Terry, 55, told the Chronicle that the tea house is not closed, and that the whole ordeal had been nothing short of a 'misunderstanding.'

A sign is displayed in the window saying the business is closed, but that is not the case according to owner Rob Terry, 55A sign is displayed in the window saying the business is closed, but that is not the case according to owner Rob Terry, 55 (Image: Newsquest)

Rob explained that the tea house is not currently open as normal due to refit works, but all the normal services provided there can still be obtained at the Old House Hotel located next door.

Rob said: "The business (the Old Tea House) has not closed at all. We have carried out works to refit the interior of the building, so have recently been providing our breakfast service and menu in the hotel, which has also seen significant work done to it within the past year.

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"Both the tea house and hotel are catered for by the same team out of the hotel, so we thought where is the sense in splitting this between two buildings when we could house the breakfast menu in the better building (the hotel).

"We are certainly not closing the business and are continuing to invest in our premises and the events we can provide and cater.

"Some may not like that, but that is their decision. Although not open as normal, it is not closed in the greater sense and we welcome everyone to come and enjoy their breakfast, coffees and teas as they would normally."

Rob said he could not give an exact date for when the Old Tea House will reopen as normal, but said that he hoped it would be 'within the next few weeks.'