Edinburgh’s ‘most glamorous’ new venue prepares to open its doors

Edinburgh’s historic Signet Library will open its newly refurbished doors to Edinburgh’s most glamorous afternoon tea venue on 1 June.

Afternoon tea at the Signet.
Afternoon tea at the Signet.
Following a £250,000 restoration of the Library interiors which includes the installation of unique lighting, intricate gold leaf and a bespoke handwoven carpet, the Lower Library will open under the name Colonnades, which is a reference to the classical pillars that grace the building. Management firm Heritage Portfolio claims it will be one of the finest lunch and tea venues in Edinburgh.

The venue will have its own Tea Sommelier, Champagne experts and mixologists and an on-site pastry chef, with all food cooked from scratch. Colonnades will work in partnership with some of Scotland’s best food producers such as the Wee Tea Company and Summerhouse Drinks. The signature afternoon tea will change with the seasons and reflect the best of Scottish produce. A gluten free afternoon tea option will feature, alongside a range of seasonal specialities and Champagne and cocktails.

Robert Pirrie, chief executive of the Society of Writers to HM Signet, owners of the Signet Library, said: “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 more than 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.”

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