Where: Great River, New York Style: Tudor revival mansion Tea Selection: 16+ loose leaf teas Teatimes: Tuesday to Sunday, 11 or 2 Reservations: 24-hour notice Contact: 631-277-3895 Cost: $45.95 Victorian Tea Destination Tea Tips: IMPORTANT: The cafe does not have air conditioning, so if you attend on a hot day, dress very lightly! Also, the only way to see the full mansion is on the guided Manor House Tour, offered Thursday to Sunday at 11 am, $15 a person. We recommend calling ahead (631-581-1002) to register because guided tours take a maximum of 15 guests, or you may request a private tour around your Victorian Tea reservation. There is an $8 parking fee, and you will walk a short way from the parking lot to the house for tea. You may also want to leave time to explore the grounds and gift shop.
Destination Tea Notes: Fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age will swoon at this late Victorian setting for afternoon tea. This is one for your destination tea wishlists, not only because of how meaningful it is to enjoy afternoon tea where the early American teas were hosted, but also because of the grandeur of this estate. This experience goes beyond teas and treats. During your visit, you may also take part in tours of the manor and gardens, walk by the river, luxuriate on the back porch, and if you’re lucky, observe the resident bald eagles and ospreys (we did!). This property now being open to the public is the natural conclusion of the life’s work of Mr. William Bayard Cutting, who built Westbrook Manor as a country home. In addition to his successful business dealings, Mr. Cutting acted as director for the fledgling New York Botanical Garden, purchased run-down tenements in New York City to upgrade them to his tenants’ satisfaction, and organized the Improved Dwellings Association to prove that affordable housing could be commercially successful as well. To honor her father’s legacy, his daughter Olivia donated the property to become “a country estate for the people” and her words in 1934 surprisingly still resonate today:
In this world of ever-increasing tension, hurry, and noise, there will still be many who crave and need the refreshment of beauty and of quiet… the gradual real estate development and the building up of what used to be unrestricted country has removed the former freedom of country life, which has now become essentially suburban. Furthermore, equivalent country estates, with their civilized and harmonious atmosphere, are disappearing and will soon no longer be available even to the privileged few. My hope is that Westbrook, small as it is, may contribute something to the need created by these conditions.”
The “Westbrook Estate” was the 68-room summer house of affluent New Yorkers, the Cutting family. The Cuttings were part of the famed “Four Hundred” list, published by The New York Times in the 1890s, naming the 400 most socially acceptable people living in New York City (see below).
Built in 1886, the manor sat on a 1,000 acre parcel of land on the Connetquot River. In 1951, Mr. Cutting’s youngest daughter Olivia donated the house and 691 acres to the Long Island State Park & Recreation Commission, “to provide an oasis of beauty and quiet for the pleasure, rest and refreshment of those who delight in outdoor beauty; and to bring about a greater appreciation and understanding of the value and importance of informal planting.”
The house has more than a dozen fireplaces, evidenced by these ornamental chimneys.
Several of the fireplaces were imported from Europe, some of them dating back to the 15th century.
Tiffany stained glass windows often include botanical elements to signal the family’s love of nature in what is now called a “museum of trees.”
You’ll pass through the former drawing room, where lunch is served, through the pocket doors into what was the library, for your afternoon tea. These rooms have been repurposed as the Hidden Oak Café dining areas. In the heat of summer, fans attempt to cool the guests. We did perspire in a very unladylike manner.
If you are seated by the windows, you will be able to see across the back lawn all the way to the river.
We like this idea of shelving teapots and books together.
Tea Selection
One of our favorite ways to experience afternoon tea is with bottomless pots of tea, as is offered here. Our server told us about the off-menu special teas: Cherry Rose, Chocolate Mint and Raspberry. She actually invited us to keep our tea menus, to fan ourselves! This may be the perfect place to put a vintage paper fan to its proper use.
We did like our first cups of tea, but as the leaves were left in the teapots, we found second and third cups bitter, except for the herbals.
Each guest is served a three-cup teapot, and may change it out to try all the teas her heart desires.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
The tiered tray is beautifully plated.
Upon inspection, we notice the generous portions of these items. As this is dubbed a Victorian Tea, smaller, tidier savories would fit the tradition better. The turkey croissant sandwich was tasty, but more suited to a lunch menu. The fabulous egg salad and sprouts tea sandwich could be cut in two, and the prettily garnished cucumber goat cheese canapé could use a thinly sliced cucumber. We would suggest switching out the turkey sandwich for two smaller savories.
While some around the table enjoyed the raisin scones offered with “homemade clotted cream” (which had the consistency of a whipped cream) and jam, they were unlike our favorite scones, which are softer and less sweet.
The cafe’s specialty pistachio poundcake was amazing! Soft and flavorful, and not too sweet. Second best were the chocolate covered cannolis (we expect nothing less when in New York). The lemon bars and strawberry shortcake rolls weren’t worth finishing, and the latter sparked a debate at the table because the supersweet icing we suspected must be commercial. One of us was sure that these were Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls, but we did not confirm the suspicion.
Afternoon tea overlooks the back porch, where lunch customers may sit outside.
The view of the Connetquot River from our table
We were sorry we had not been aware of the manor tours before visiting. You can see what we missed in John Foreman’s blog post. Note that there is also a gift shop that closes while you are in the 2 pm tea seating, so you may want to come early to visit it.
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Great information and pictures. Thank you for the details. Must be amazing in the Fall – now on my “TeaDo” List !
Thanks for reading Joanne! Definitely could spend the day here exploring the gardens and manor.