On the 8 of April, Amber Valley’s Worshipful Mayor David Taylor and the Mayor of Belper John Porter, celebrated Amber Valley Borough Council’s completion of the Swiss Tea Rooms with the planting of a commemorative tree and official ribbon cutting.
This signifies the official handover of the premises to the operators, Deep Beat Entertainment, a delayed date due to the tea rooms experiencing low level flooding during Storms Franklin and Eunice. Now the council are looking forward to Deep Beat Entertainment’s public opening which will be announced through their Facebook page 'Park Life Café at the Swiss Tea Rooms'.
Louise Brennan from Historic England attended the event and said "I am delighted to see the new tearooms in Belper’s important River Gardens open. The building is beautifully designed to sit in this Grade 2 listed park, in the heart of the World Heritage Site. I am very much looking forward to visiting for tea and cake!".
The Tea Rooms were a fixture in the gardens from 1906, but they became derelict in 1981. The site was cleared in recent years, to bring forward this smart new facility which was project managed and built by Alliance to replicate the style of the former building, whilst benefitting from modern and environmentally friendly additions such as the air source heat pump that will deliver renewably sourced heat and water. The pump has been generously supplied free-of-charge by Belper-based Valiant Group.
An Amber Valley Borough Council spokesperson said, "The council has overcome significant challenges that delayed the build beyond expectations, but it is wonderful to bring back the Swiss Tea Rooms, especially during the Easter period which is when the original building first opened back in 1906.
The Green Flag award-winning River Gardens are already a beautiful place to dwell; the tea rooms will enable visitors to enjoy year-round views of the park and river Derwent whilst enjoying the food and drink offer from this fantastic location".
Contact the team directly on 01773 570222 or email enquiry@ambervalley.gov.uk
