Signet Library to open Edinburgh's most glamorous afternoon tea salon on 4th June 2015

Edinburgh’s historic Signet Library will throw open its newly refurbished doors to Edinburgh’s most glamorous afternoon tea venue from 1st June 2015, in partnership with premium caterer, Heritage Portfolio.  Building on the success of the annual Pommery Champagne Café Bar, weddings and corporate events, we're opening the new luxury destination, offering the finest in food and drink throughout the year.

Following a £250,000 restoration of the stunning Library interiors including intricate gold leaf, a bespoke handwoven carpet and unique lighting, overseen by the talented interior designer Amy Schellenberg, the Lower Library will open under the name Colonnades, which is a reference to the classical pillars that add to the beauty of the building. It will be one of the finest afternoon tea and lunch venues in Edinburgh.  

Operating to the usual Heritage Portfolio standards of excellence, the venue will have its own Tea Sommelier, Champagne experts and mixologists and a resident pastry chef, with all food cooked from scratch and served in style.  Colonnades will work in partnership with some of Scotland’s best food producers such as the Wee Tea Company and Summerhouse Fruit, alongside the Signet Library’s favourite tipple: Pommery Champagne.  The signature afternoon tea will change seasonsonally to reflect the very best of Scottish produce.  A gluten free afternoon tea option will feature, alongside a range of seasonal specialities and the best in Champagne and cocktails.

Robert Pirrie, chief executive of the Society of Writers to HM Signet, owners of the Signet Library, comments: “This opening represents the crowning glory to ten years’ work by the WS Society and Heritage Portfolio.  This is a new era in the extraordinary life of the Society  which goes back over 500 years to when the Signet Library was built for the Writers to the Signet as a library and meeting place at the height of the Enlightenment period in Edinburgh.  Over the years the building has adapted and evolved with changing times. We are now opening our doors so the public can share this unique architectural gem with us. The prestige and heritage of the Writers to the Signet lies in excellence and that is the standard both we and Heritage Portfolio have set for Colonnades.”

Mark Miller, executive director of Heritage Portfolio, comments: “Our business is renowned for offering luxury hospitality and Colonnades will certainly be the best example of how fabulous we can really make an afternoon tea.  With bespoke silver teapots and table furnishings from Heritage Silverware, plus fizz and finery, we have transformed the venue into something truly unique and special in Edinburgh.”