The Polly Tea Rooms on Marlborough High Street have closed after 114 years, with a notice in the shop window blaming rising costs and the difficulties of running a high street business.
The closure was confirmed by a notice displayed on the tea room doors on Monday, 9th November.
The notice said that rising taxes, overheads and another increase in the minimum wage, alongside the ongoing cost of living crisis, had made it impossible to keep the business going.
It read: "Relentless tax rises and overhead costs plus another minimum wage increase, all when there is an ongoing cost of living crisis affecting our customers' ability to eat out, has resulted in our closing the Polly Tearooms, after 114 years.
"It is simply impossible to run a High Street business in the UK in these circumstances.
"Thank you to all of our customers, we value all of your business, and a special thank you to our great staff team."
The tea rooms were opened in 1912 by Jean Leith-Hay and Janet McCloud, with the latter involved in the suffragette movement.
Polly's was established as a place where women could meet and spend time together over afternoon tea, at a time when the campaign for women's right to vote was gathering momentum.
The business became one of the best-known establishments on Marlborough High Street, with generations of customers passing through its doors.
The building itself has not always looked as it does today. It was once a much larger, three-storey property, but a fire in 1966 destroyed the upper floors. They were never rebuilt, leaving the single-storey premises familiar to visitors today.
Despite the changes over the years, some of Polly's traditions survived. An article in Marlborough's community magazine Tower & Town in 2017 reported that some of the original cake recipes and baking tins dating back to 1912 were still being used.
The same article described a busy business which could serve more than 500 visitors in a day.
Photo credit: TripAdvisor
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