A popular tearoom located on a historic Thames barge in Maldon's Hythe Quay is set to close at the end of this month, due to soaring costs.

The Barge Tearooms, located on board Resourceful, will cease trading on September 25.

Stephanie Valentine, Managing Director at Topsail Charters, described the impact of the rising cost of electricity, gas, wages and food on the unique local attraction.

She told Nub News: "I don't think it's a surprise that hospitality is struggling – businesses are operating at a loss at the moment."

As a seasonal business, The Barge Tearooms relies on income from the summer season to see it through the winter.

Last month, the café's electricity bill increased by 50%.

Stephanie continued: "Our customer numbers are good – it's not that there isn't a demand there.

"We've just not had the summer we needed to see us through the winter, really."

The Barge Tearooms currently employs 11 'fabulous' members of staff, who will unfortunately be made redundant in the next couple of weeks.

Bethany, a student who works part-time at the café, told Nub News: "It's just gutting really, because when are you ever going to find another job like this, where you get to be on the river all day?"

The Tearoom is a 'side-line' of Topsail Charters, which owns three other Thames sailing barges: Hydrogen, Thistle, and Reminder (sister ship to Resourceful). Topsail regularly takes visitors on cruises aboard its historic vessels, which can be chartered for weddings, birthdays, and even hen parties.

Stephanie says the chartering aspect of the company has had a 'really good' summer.

Resourceful was the last Thames sailing barge to be built, in Mistley in 1931. (Photo: Ben Shahrabi)

A crew from Visit Essex will be filming on board Reminder tomorrow (September 2), to highlight 'unusual and quirky' attractions for tourists.

Topsail Charters' barges were used in the background of quay scenes in Apple TV's 'The Essex Serpent' earlier this year, along with crew members.

Resourceful is permanently moored at Cooks Yard and should remain there for the foreseeable future.

Thistle, one of the company's other barges, was spotted at Clacton Air Show last week. (Photo: Ben Shahrabi)

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