The Story of Roo

Ric and Maggie came across old photos of the tearooms in the 1800s and saw that the cottage used to be thatched, so they thought it would be lovely to replace the slates with a new thatched roof.

When it was finished, they decided to follow the thatcher's tradition and put a straw final on the roof

Maggie asked the thatcher if he could make a straw kangaroo as Ric was Australian and the tea room already had a lot of Aussie touches. Even their own coat of arms features a lion and kangaroo! When it was finished, the finial was a piece of art - looking quite spectacular from its vantage point above the village. Tradition says that finials were originally good luck symbols and was extraordinary enough called a 'Ric ornament'.

Everyone came to admire Roo, except one slightly jealous neighbour who tried to cast an evil spell by complaining to the planning office to try and have poor little Roo taken down. However, their scheme backfired and Roo became a tourist attraction and a living legend, winning 'The Best Final in Britain' competition. Every day, people come from all over the world just to see Roo and enjoy one of the most delicious cream teas in England. We're sure Roo - the only Isle of Wight kangaroo we know of - gives a secret smile as he looks down on so many people having such a wonderful time!