Welcome to our traditional new forest tea rooms

Our tea rooms were established in 1904 and are believed to be the oldest tea rooms in the New Forest. Parts of the building date back to the 16th century and Burley village can be traced back 3500 years ago to the bronze age.
 

Dragons, witches and smuggling are part of Burley's rich history. Legend has it that villagers were once terrorized by a dragon living at Burley beacon before a young knight, coated in birdlime and crushed glass for protection, defeated it. In the late 1950s, the famous white witch, Sybil Leek, lived here & was often seen in a long black coat with her pet Jackdaw 'Hot Foot' on her shoulder. She was an authority on forest life having spent much of her time with the forest gypsies.
 

There are around 4000 ponies in the New Forest, all owned by commoners, who have historic rights to graze their animals on the forest. Please do not feed or stroke the ponies. Human food can be harmful, and hand fed ponies can become aggressive and tend to gather near roads where it is dangerous for them.

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We hope you enjoy our time with us.