The BridgeTea Rooms

The crooked building by the town bridge was a blacksmith's in 1502, and it has poured tea with enough seriousness to win the Tea Guild's Top UK Tea Place twice — the judges, who arrive unannounced, called it near perfect. Roy and Alison Hayward have owned it since 2006, keeping the full ritual: leaf tea, tiered stands, waitresses in Victorian dress, everything the word 'tearoom' promises and almost nowhere still delivers. Open daily, ten until half past four.