Nostalgic
King John’s House and Heritage Centre in the centre of the Hampshire town of Romsey is a nostalgic reminder of the past.
The three buildings that make up the complex contain 750 years of history and date back to the 13th century. And stand in the shadow of the town’s historic Norman Abbey.
It is run by an independent trust and is supported by the local authority and is a wonderful reminder of the town’s history.
But it is the Tudor Cottage which is part of the complex which I find most fascinating — a late Tudor or early Jacobean timber framed house of two floors. The upper part is furnished in the style of the period, while the ground floor is devoted to Miss Moody’s Tea Room.
Miss Moody was the last owner of Moody’s Gun Shop, which is now the visitor centre. Older townspeople recall that she ran a traditional English tea room there both before and after the 1939-45 war. Today the tradition is continued with an old-fashioned yet nostalgic atmosphere of traditional bone-china teacups as well as the delights of homemade cakes, scones, and light lunches, and during the summer extends to an outdoor patio area set in a delightfully quiet 18th century garden.
My first visit and real introduction to the centre was to a reception in the upstairs room, but since then I have been many times. Even to simply sit in the garden is a delightful nostalgic moment of the past.
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