Following a tender process requiring interested parties to submit full details of their plans for the historic Tymperleys house in Essex, Colchester Borough Council has announced that Royal jam-maker Wilkin and Sons of Tiptree will be invited to take on a twenty year lease to operate the building as a tea room.

A council spokesperson said the selection process had included a balanced scorecard system to ensure the winning bid addressed maintenance and public access concerns as well as recognising the building's historic importance.

Wilkin and Sons, makers of Tiptree preserves issued a short statement and added that they already have a free-entry museum in Tiptree and are the owners of the Essex Rose, a 16th century tea house located in nearby Dedham. This will be the fifth Tiptree tea room and is expected to guarantee Tymperleys remains in public ownership, is properly maintained and accessible to the public for the next two decades.

Ian Thurgood, joint managing director, Wilkin and Sons Limited, Tiptree, Essex CO5 0RF