WITH the nights drawing in, and a nip in the air, what better than tea dances to cheer up readers.

A tea dance, also called a thé dansant - French for ‘dancing tea’ - became increasingly popular from the later 19th century. The perfect complement to go with afternoon tea, typical refreshments in the late 1800s were tea and coffee, ices, fruit, sandwiches, cake, and biscuits.

In these pictures we take a look at local tea dances that have taken place over the years.