Celebrate

Another Birthday Treat: Tea at Lady Mary Inn in North Berwick

81 Comments

For my birthday, which was in September, Shannon and Mike treated me to afternoon tea at the Lady Mary Inn in North Berwick. October 11 was the date everyone settled on, thus continuing our family tradition of celebrating often. Mike is not exactly into tea—coffee and beer are more his thing—so he and Clif went to a local brewery, while Shannon, Dee, and I had afternoon tea.

The inn is nothing short of spectacular. I pegged it as a huge Victorian house—the largest I have ever seen—but its official description, taken from their website, is Queen Anne-Eastlake Victorian style. That’s a new one for me. Whatever its architectural style, I think we can all agree that this is some house.

As the link in the first paragraph of this piece takes readers to a history of the Lady Mary Inn, I’ll just give a brief description, again copied from their website. “Mary R. Hurd was born in 1839, daughter of William Hill, a member of the large Quaker population of the area and founder of the North Berwick Woolen Mill. Upon her father’s death in 1873, she inherited the mill. This determined woman took over the administration of the mill, an astonishing task for a woman of her era….It was at the time of her second marriage that she built the great Queen Anne house on a hill at the prominent intersection overlooking the mill.”

Those Quaker industrialists apparently knew how to get things done. We had one in Winthrop, too—Charles M. Bailey, who was an oil cloth manufacturer and donated money for the construction of the town’s library in 1916.

But back to tea. Dee, Shannon, and I all had our own pot of tea—I order the Lady Mary Grey, a floral black tea. Then came tomato soup and little sandwiches—curried chickpea, toasted cheese, tomato, and cream cheese.

Next came scones.

And finally dessert, complete with a little candle in honor of my birthday. Yes, I made a wish when I blew out the candle.

Afterward, we all felt perfectly full but not stuffed, which is a nice way to feel.

Finally, here’s a picture of the room across from where we had tea.

Not only was the food tasty, but the service was also exactly the way I like it—attentive, friendly, relaxed, and unpretentious.

If you live within driving distance of North Berwick, and like tea, little sandwiches, scones, and sweets, and are in the mood to treat either yourself or someone special, then afternoon tea at the Lady Mary Inn is the perfect outing.

Many thanks Mike and Shannon!

 

81 thoughts on “Another Birthday Treat: Tea at Lady Mary Inn in North Berwick”

  1. It sounds like a perfect birthday celebration, Laurie. And that house looks so much like a number of grand homes in the historical setting of our town. Not surprisingly!

  2. What a lovely way to continue your Birthday celebrations! I love tea and have experiencing my first official Afternoon Tea on my 50 before 50 list. If only I lived closer to this gem! What a house, indeed!

    1. As we would say in Maine, a finest kind of way to celebrate a birthday.

      Hope you find a place nearby where you can have an afternoon tea with all the fixings.

  6. Perfectly full but not stuffed is a rare but wonderful state. What a lovely way to extend your birthday celebrations and the venue looks amazing whatever the official description.

  8. I had to do a double take – North Berwick is a seaside place not far from Edinburgh where we went every summer for a day on the beach. Obviously not the same North Berwick!

    Looks like a lovely afternoon tea – happy birthday!

    2. No, not the same North Berwick. Lots of towns and cities in Maine are named for places in England, Scotland, and Wales.

      Such a special afternoon. Thanks for the birthday wishes.

  9. What fun! I’ve never had the pleasure of doing high tea, but I’m sure I’d enjoy it. And that house? Wow, just wow. That semi-circular bay window would be a perfect place to curl up with a good book, regardless the weather.

  13. The house is really quite something. Far better than the sterile, architect minimalistic houses they often build now. this house has character and soul.

    The tea looked nice but I have to say I don’t think I could eat tomato soup with tea.

  14. I love afternoon tea! If only someone would arrange something like this for me. I haven’t a hope of visiting the Lady Mary Inn but there must be something a little like it here! What a lovely treat in a beautiful venue. A belated happy birthday to you! xoxo

  15. So lovely! I hope you appreciate how fortunate you are that your family provides these amazing treats. (I mostly get texts for my birthday. My granddaughter did fix me a nice dinner.)

  16. Happy Birthday. The house looks lovely, the food sounds great and I’m sure the company was good. I believe Tootlepedal goes to North Berwick sometimes, though it may be a different one . . . 🙂

    1. A very fine day! Tootlepedal mentioned there is a North Berwick close to where he lives. Many of our towns are named for places “across the pond.”

  17. Lovely. Just as a birthday tea should be. I’ve only had proper tea once, and it included only the little sandwiches and scones. Still, it was wonderful. Belated birthday wishes!

  21. Wow! What a beautiful house. And a lovely tea. I had no idea having tea involved having little sandwiches and scones and desert! I would love to do that someday.

  23. That house is magnificent, and every bit of the food is appealing. I’m not a tea drinker, but even a glass of water would be fine with those little sandwiches. I smiled at your mention of the fellow who specialized in oil cloth. I’d forgotten it, but there were some oil cloth tablecloths in our home, and in my grandparents’. I still can remember some of the bright floral patterns that were used.

    What a great way to extend birthday celebrations!

  24. What a wonderful way to celebrate Laurie, it looks like a finest of afternoon teas! ❤️🎂 xxx

  27. This looks perfectly lovely in every way! 😀

    I’m happy for you, Laurie, and for your companions. Tea is such a treat, and a lovely way to celebrate one’s birthday. The house is extraordinary.

    Happy belated birthday.

      1. We have a charming place in San Jose called Lisa’s Tea Treasures. For a brief time they occupied a multi-story Victorian near Willow Glen, but they’ve since relocated to a run-of-the-mill location. I love a high tea. I have a friend taking me for tea in early November as a belated birthday treat. It’s always great fun.

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  33. Popped over from Thistles & Kiwis to see where “the other” North Berwick is. Like Barbara and Tom Tootlepedal we visit the Scottish one too. It was the scene of some of my husband’s childhood holidays, including an infamous one where he induced his younger siblings to put the plug in the basin and turn the taps on till it flooded. I’m not sure they were ever welcomed back to that hotel. Oh, and there was the one when he was a teenager and he and his cousin went to sea in a rowing boat. They were away so long their mothers called the life boat, though they arrived back just as it was about to launch. Actually, I’m not sure how he dares show his face in North Berwick – though he always puts a big donation in the life boat box.

    1. Thanks for stopping by. Our North Berwick, probably named after yours, is not by the the sea and is small, population 5,000. It’s very rural and very New England. Perhaps someday I’ll go back and take pictures of the community so that those who are familiar with North Berwick, Scotland, can see the difference.

      Your husband had quite the adventures in Scotland’s North Berwick.

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