A LLANDUNDO landmark, perched on the south side of the Great Orme, has been placed up for sale.

Haulfre Gardens Tea Rooms, which once welcomed a Prime Minister and boasts links with a millionaire tea merchant and whiskey magnate, is on the market with offers over £675,000.

Believed to date from the 1860s, the Grade II listed property on Cwlach Road, which comes with a four bedroom apartment, has been run for the last 10 years by Diane Easter.

She said: “I want to sell up for personal reasons, but I’ll miss the stunning views over the town, and sweeping along the north and west shores. It really is a very special place, and on a summer’s day there isn’t anywhere better to be than at a table in our garden.

“Our 10 years here have been wonderful and we will miss the panorama we see when we get up everyday. People say we get all of the sun Llandudno gets being high up on the Great Orme and facing south. Sometimes the sun over the sea just takes your breath away.

“With the tea rooms we’ve developed the menu as we have gone along and now we are doing toasties and full meals such as lasagne and curry in addition to our traditional home made cakes and cream scones. But I don’t feel it’s full potential has been exploited, I’m sure there is plenty of scope for growth in the future, probably all that is needed is a little imagination and application.”

She added: “One direction where the business could expand is opening up in the evenings possibly as something like a bistro. It could also be a perfect location for small wedding parties or al fresco evening dining during the summer months.”

The property is believed to have been originally built as a summer house for the tea importer, grocer and yachtsman Sir Thomas Lipton.

It was then acquired by industrial chemist and Victorian entrepreneur Henry Pochin, owner of Bodant Garden , who later sold to the whisky magnate Johnnie Walker, who in turn sold it to the world renowned orchid grower Joseph Broome who extended the garden’s terraces.

In 1929 the gardens where bought by the local authority who created a public park, opened by former Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who planted a tree.

The tea rooms were opened in 1935 by a well known cordon bleu cook Miss Doris Wood and

They have gone on to become a popular stopping point for walkers., which is a gentle path along the hillside to West Shore. It gained the name after becoming popular with people staying in Llandudno recuperating from tuberculosis and respiratory illnesses.

Non-invalids can climb the zigzag path to the top of the Great Orme plateau.

Cllr Carol Marubi, Chairman of Llandudno Town Council’s community and tourism committee, said: “Haulfre Gardens Tea Rooms is one of the town’s attractions, and I know from my own experience how much it is enjoyed by tourists, because I’ve spoken to many of them when I’ve stopped there grateful for a cuppa after strolling up the Invalid’s Walk.

“I hope it is sold to someone who continues operating it as a tea room, I would hate to see us loose it.

“Many times I’ve sat in the garden in the sunshine reflecting on the spectacular panorama laid out in front of me. It has to be one of the best locations in Wales if not the UK.”