FIR TREE HOUSE TEA ROOMS

Penshurst
TN11 8D
Tel 01892 870382

Fir Tree House was originally part of the Penshurst Estate owned by the Sidney family and was a tied or rented cottage with a little land. Built in the 16th century in the Kentish style, it retains many original features such as the inglenook fireplace and wide oak floorboards.

In late Victorian times the house was substantially altered, with the Kentish cat-slide roof being replaced by two gables and the brick bread oven also being removed, making a more spacious house.

Early in the 20th century it was the saddler and harness maker’s shop, and about 1930, with the demise of horsedrawn transport, the saddler’s wife set up the Tearooms. Taking afternoon tea was a popular activity and there were no fewer than five tearooms in the small village of Penshurst at that time.

In 1985 Fir Tree House was sold by the Estate to the present owners who continue, with a little modernisation, to serve home-baked fare in the house and garden.

The Fir Tree after which the house is named leaned out across the road at the front of the house and was a familiar landmark. After the storm of 1987 this 250-year-old Scots Pine gradually died and in 1990 was ceremoniously cut down. The trunk was then milled, left in stick to season for one year and then made into five beautiful tables for the tearooms by local craftsmen.

Opening Times in 2012
From 1st April 2012, Tuesdays to Sundays 2.30pm to 6pm
Closed on Mondays
Open on Bank Holiday Mondays (closed the Tuesday following)
Open 4th and 5th June

English Cream Tea Trail