On 11 March 2020 nearly 40 Friends
gathered in the Mackintosh at the Willow to explore the newly restored Willow Tearooms,
the only one surviving of the Tearooms
which CR Mackintosh designed for Miss Kate Cranston.
After a brief introductory talk in the
Mezzanine level we made our way to the Billiards Room where the ladies among us
enjoyed seeing the room which only men were permitted to enter when it was
designed.
The double chairs were quite
comfortable and the light fittings seemed remarkably contemporary.
Only the smoke and the billiards table
were missing!
 |
| Courtesy of Michael Hutchinson |
After that we made our way to the
Salon de Luxe, the highlight of the tour. Beautifully restored with chandeliers, chairs ,doors etc made as
exact replicas of the originals.
It was a delight to settle down at the
tables for afternoon tea and to be able to take in all the decorative features
while bathed in light streaming in from the beautiful windows.
All this and a scrumptious afternoon
tea! We left well nourished both in mind and body and in no doubt that we would
like to go back.
E M Dent
