Constable country's new-look £100,000 tea gardens are open.

Refurbishment work on the tea rooms in the historic thatched cottage near Flatford Mill, near Dedham, is complete.

The new timber building which has appeared on the scene made famous in Constable's painting The Haywain was paid for by the National Trust.

The trust bought the tea room and shop in 1984.

Martin Atkinson, property manager for the National Trust, said: "The new building replaces the old structure which was in very poor condition."

The outdoor area with its plastic corrugated covering has been replaced with a timber building with glass panelled curtain walls that can be folded back in good weather allowing visitors to dine al fresco.

Published Monday October 14, 2002

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