Sadness as riverside tea rooms set to close

Customers have expressed their disappointment that a tea rooms overlooking a Grade II listed river garden is due to close.

Operator Life Cafes said it had taken the "difficult decision" not to continue its lease of the Swiss Tea Rooms in Belper, owned by Amber Valley Borough Council.

The council say it would "prepare the premises for a new tenant so the Tea Rooms can reopen as soon as possible".

But for John and Jenny Richley, who have called in for a hot drink almost every day since it opened, the scheduled closure on 1 November is "devastating."

"It has beautiful scenery, it's a place to relax and, at our age, it allows us to escape from our medical problems," said John, whose wife has Parkinson's disease.

Marie and Martin Landy had been told the river gardens were Amber Valley's "jewel in the crown" so made a trip to the cafe during their visit from Manchester.

"The Tea Rooms are excellent. It's a real shame to hear that it's closing down. The food and the coffee is really good quality and it seems to be well attended," said Martin.

Set within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, the Tea Rooms have been a cherished part of the gardens since 1906, but closed and fell into disrepair in the early 1980s.

The dilapidated building was demolished in 2019 and the council opened a redesigned Swiss Tea Rooms in spring 2022.

The project was funded by £320,000 from the borough council and a further £100,000 from Belper Town Council.

Belper resident Stuart Hallows makes weekly visits to the cafe and told the BBC he did not want to see that council investment being wasted on an unused building.

"I'm just hoping that after the 1st of November that there's somebody that'll take it over and open it up again for the people of Belper," he said.

The borough council insisted the vacant Tea Rooms were not closing permanently and said it would provide "further updates as the next steps progress."

"We know the Tea Rooms are an important part of Belper River Gardens," a spokesperson said.

"The council takes pride in caring for the gardens and the wider site, keeping it a welcoming place for people to visit,

"The recent Green Flag Award recognises our ongoing commitment to maintaining this high standard."

Life Cafes said: "Belper is a truly unique community, and we are immensely grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way,"

"We would also like to say a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful team, whose dedication, passion and genuine care for the Tea Rooms have made it what it is over our tenure."

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