15th Century venue to close over 'rising costs'

Tymperleys, in Colchester city centre, is set to close in September

A wedding venue in a 15th Century building said its decision to close permanently because of rising costs was made with a "very heavy heart".

Tymperleys, in Colchester city centre, said financial constraints meant it had become "impossible to continue trading".

The venue, in Trinity Street, will close on 23 September, it confirmed on its Facebook page on Sunday.

"We have a lot of regular customers who we are all going [to] miss enormously," the announcement said.

Clocks to cakes

In recent years, Tymperleys - surrounded by a walled garden - had become a tea room and licensed wedding venue.

The building was previously owned by Bernard Mason, a local businessman, until his family gifted it to the local council in the 1980s, according to the city's High Steward Sir Bob Russell.

In 1987, Mr Mason's extensive collection of clocks saw Tymperleys open to the public as a clock museum, which closed in 2011.

Essex jam-maker Wilkin and Sons had been offered a 20-year lease in 2012, but its plans to open a tea room fell through.

Tymperleys reopened in 2014 under the leadership of the Charrington family, who also own the nearby Layer Marney Tower, thought to be the tallest Tudor gatehouse in the country.

According to Companies House, the Charringtons still own the business, while Colchester City Council confirmed it still owns the building itself.

'Sad moment'

Sir Bob, the city's former Liberal Democrat MP, praised the venue's "wonderful staff".

He said he hoped Tymperleys could become a major tourist attraction in the future.

Council leader David King, a Liberal Democrat, said: "It's a sad moment to see a loved business struggling and Tymperleys in its current form closed.

"The council has a strong interest in encouraging businesses of every kind across the city and we'll be in touch with the leaseholders to see what their plans now are."