Stratford’s family favourite tea room looks set to become jewellers
THE sandwiches and scones of Hathaway Tea Rooms in Stratford look set to be replaced by stones and carats.
The former, much-loved, tea rooms in Stratford’s High Street is to become a family-owned high-end jewellers.
Victoria James is already established in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter where it makes bespoke pieces, specialising in diamond engagement rings and other rings featuring precious stones.
It has submitted plans to take over 19 High Street, which from the 1920s until February this year was a tea room.
An application for listed building consent – the building is Grade II* listed – includes details of alterations to the shop front which needs fortification. This will include thicker glass and a tough new door. Work inside the building will also add to the security.
On the outside of the building, the old pull-out awning will be removed but the Hathaway Tea Rooms hanging sign will remain in place so as not to “affect a well-know feature of the high street’.
The jeweller’s own sign will be in letters on the front of the building, which was built around 1610.