Long before cafés lined the high street and coffee chains became commonplace, afternoon tea was one of Britain’s favourite social occasions. By the Edwardian era, Dorset’s hotels, country houses and beauty spots were welcoming visitors for tea, while the arrival of charabanc day trips brought thousands of holidaymakers into the county each summer. These four postcards from the Barry Cuff Postcard Collection capture that tradition, from village tea gardens and country estates to elegant restaurants overlooking the sea. Together they offer a charming glimpse of a more leisurely Dorset, where tea, conversation and a slice of cake were every bit as important as the destination itself.
Frampton Park – The church outing from Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Dorchester, taking tea in the grounds of Frampton House, in Winterborne Stickland, then owned by Algernon Thomas Brinsley Sheridan, Shaftesbury MP and grandson of the playwright. The Sheridan family lived at Frampton House from 1835 until it was demolished in 1932Milton Abbas – Tea outside a cottage opposite The Hambro Arms. Postmarked 1928. The charabancs were probably bringing day-trippers from Weymouth or Bournemouth – Milton Abbas has long been a popular visitor attractionBurt’s Restaurant, the restaurant at Durlston Castle, Swanage, built for George Burt in the 1880s. Postmarked 1908.Portesham – Tea garden in the grounds of the King’s Arms. Postmarked 1909.
