Glanmor’s Tea Room to close after 25 years

It’s been at the heart of Caerphilly town centre for 25 years, but the much-loved Glanmor’s Tea Room will close at the end of this month.

Owner Lynne Evans, who opened the tea room with her late husband, Glanmor Evans, is set to retire.

However, the nearby Glanmor’s bakery on Cardiff Road will remain open, as will the bakery in Trethomas – where it all started 40 years ago.

In 1980, Glanmor, who was a senior lecturer at Cardiff College of Food Technology, decided to quit his job and open a bakery.

The decision was met with caution by wife Lynne, who was a stay-at-home mother at the time.

“Glanmor was the businessman and I was the cautious one.

“I look back and it’s amazing how far we’ve come – and it’s all down to him.
“I know he’d be very proud of us.”

Three years after opening in Trethomas, the couple opened a second Glanmor’s bakery at its current site on Cardiff Road, Caerphilly.

Following a major redevelopment of Caerphilly town centre in the early 1990s, Castle Court Shopping Centre opened in 1995.

Glanmor and Lynne decided to expand the business once again and opened their tea room at the shopping precinct that year.

Glanmor’s Tea Room first opened where Clark’s shoe shop currently is, but moved to its present-day location six months later, signing a 25-year lease.

In 2002, Glanmor passed away, leaving Lynne and son Russell in charge of the business.

Russell, now 48, currently runs the bakery and will continue to do so after the tea room closes at the end of the year.

“I feel so proud of Russell,” said Lynne.

Growing up, Russell and his older sister, Jayne, would help out at the bakery, often helping set things up in the mornings before heading to school.

“When Glanmor died, I thought ‘how are we going to cope?’ But we’re a very supportive family.

“I knew I couldn’t walk away. I just got on with it I suppose – it’s kept me going.”

The 25-year lease came to an end in June this year, but the coronavirus pandemic gave the tea room a stay of execution.

Lynne admitted it was a “difficult decision” to close the tea room and retire, but the 74-year-old felt extending the lease for another 25 years “wasn’t an option”.

“My plans now are to enjoy myself. I’m a member of a number of clubs, so I’ll be kept busy.

“I’ll miss all the lovely customers. You certainly get to know them.
“We see the same faces and new ones. Some come in once or twice a day.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lynne has worked hard ensuring the tea room is Covid-proof.

“I’ve never known anything like this. The customers have been so supportive throughout.

“We’re lucky here because we’ve got the right layout to keep people safe.”

Before the pandemic, there were 23 tables inside, but that had to be reduced to 14 to allow for social distancing.

The tea room had to close in March, with the 23 members of staff placed on furlough. It reopened in June for takeaways, before reopening outdoors in July.

The tea room fully reopened in August, with social distancing in place. But Lynne admitted there had been a “big drop in customers” due to the situation.

However, while the tea room was closed, customers were “queuing out the door” at the bakery, which was able to stay open during the initial wave of restrictions.

But while the tea room won’t reopen under the Glanmor’s brand in 2021, it will reopen under new management.

All current staff members at the tea room will be kept on by the new owner.

The team room is being taken over by Lee Edwards and will be renamed ‘Gatehouse’ – a reference to its location opposite Caerphilly Castle.

Mr Edwards said: “It’s still going to be a tea room and we’ll still cater for the people who come here now.

“We want to modernise it a bit more, but we’re not going to go crazy.”

Mr Edwards has applied for a premises licence to serve alcohol, with plans for a cocktail bar upstairs – which will be available for hire as a community hub or a space for business meetings during the day.

He added: “We’re going to keep the popular dishes, but we’re looking to add more Welsh produce to the menu.”

He also said he has plans to offer afternoon teas and has said he will work with Glanmor’s bakery to supply the produce.