A Wiltshire tea shop has been granted permission to continue operating from a former pub, thanks to a poignant plea delivered in verse by Lizzie Leigh, known locally as ‘Britain’s Tea Poet.’
Wiltshire Council’s western area planning committee was set to decide on the fate of Codford Tea Rooms, located in the former George Hotel building in Warminster. The property owner was seeking retrospective approval to change the use from a public house to a shop and cafe.
The George was the village’s sole pub, and council policies generally resist pub closures unless it is proven the business is no longer viable. Planning officers were skeptical that the pub’s owners, Four Counties Inns, had exhausted all options to keep it running and initially recommended rejecting the application.
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However, the mood shifted when Kyriakos Christodoulou, known locally as Kevin—the tea room’s tenant landlord—and poet Lizzie Leigh addressed the committee. Since 2017, Kevin had managed the pub but found it financially unsustainable. During the pandemic, he learned tea room skills in Bath and decided to transform the struggling pub into a tea room, investing his own money to renovate the space.
The George had a long history, operating as an inn since 1609, but it faced multiple closures in recent years. Parts of the building were sold off or converted for residential use, reducing the pub’s original footprint. In 2020, the Edwardian structure was subdivided; one part remains vacant as a hair salon, while two-thirds were converted into the popular Codford Tea Rooms.
Kevin admitted he had not initially sought planning permission for the change in use, not realizing it was required.
Lizzie Leigh shared her story, recounting how she moved to Codford two years ago, initially living in a caravan while struggling financially. As a tea poet dedicated to educating people about tea, she found a home and purpose when Kevin offered her a front-of-house position and accommodation above the tea rooms.
During the council meeting, Lizzie recited a heartfelt poem expressing how Codford Tea Rooms serves as a vital community hub—from providing a gathering spot for new mothers and carers to supporting locals and creating jobs:
“I’m echoing the voices of those unable to speak,
Over one hundred and thirty-six locals who, week after week,
Come in to nurse their babies, and the carer-givers who bring
Their clients to us for cake and chat…
To a lonely widow who visits every day,
Saying, ‘I’d die or move if this place changed,’ this is what she’d say.
We four staff are villagers who walk here for each shift—
A refusal means loss; a ‘yes’ means a gift:
Serving food and drink with care, we share our love, our home,
What other jobs are there in Codford, where we roam?
The pub as before would lose its charm,
Losing intimacy and warmth in its traditional form.
The village thrives with its theatre and centre, it’s true—
Do we need one more pub with a bar, dimming the view?
Please vote ‘yes’ for the tea rooms to remain,
A hub that brings comfort like gentle rain.”
Tom Thornton, chairman of Codford Parish Council, also spoke. While acknowledging the tea room’s community value, he recommended rejecting the application on grounds that the pub’s viability had not been sufficiently disproved and the unauthorised alterations did not meet regulations. He proposed a pragmatic solution: once compliant, the tea rooms could serve as a community focal point much like a pub.
The planning committee ultimately sided with the tea room team, approving the change of use with conditions. These stipulations preserved the option for the owner to revert the building to pub status in the future.
After the decision, Codford Tea Rooms shared the news on social media, quickly receiving over 100 positive reactions and dozens of supportive comments, celebrating the victory for a cherished community space.