No 1, The Old Bakehouse

Roadley

Building origins

Listed as a Grade 2 building by English Heritage, The Old Bakehouse is described as a cottage of late 16th or early 17th century origin, much altered in 19th century.
It is timber framed and plaster, but the framing has been replaced with brick in parts. The steeply pitched roof, originally thatched, is now with buff pantiles and a small C19 gault brick ridge stack.
The fenestration is 19th or 20th century including a hung sash of four panes.

Changing hands

In 1844, November 16, the  Cambridge Independent Press and Cambridge Chronicle & Journal advertised:

Auction, by Cockett & Nash at the Swan Inn on 22 Nov at 5 pm: Dwellinghouse with shop, bakehouse and outbuildings, orchard + 2 gardens at The Cross, Harston. By order of the proprietor, Mr Smith of Cambridge; immediate possession. Particulars etc: Cambridge & Royston.

In 1855 the cottage was used to teach village children by two Irish women prior to the building of the school & school house almost directly across the road

In 1893 it was one of 16 property lots up for auction when the ‘Harston Estate’ of William Long was sold. It was described as a ‘Highly valuable freehold property comprising dwelling house and shop, containing 4 bedrooms, kitchen, sitting room, shop & storeroom & bakehouse with outbuildings, comprising boarded, lath & plaster & thatched shed, boarded & tiled piggery & W C with yard etc comprising 33 poles (more or less). The property is well situated for trade in a corner position at the junction of the Haslingfield & Royston Roads & is in the occupation of Mr Ashby, a yearly tenant, at £14 a year. The tenant claims the oven & certain fixtures’.  From 1861 to his death in 1905,  Josiah is recorded in Kelly’s directory as having the bakery and grocer’s shop in Church Street.

The 1910 land valuation (No 194 on map) has the house & shop/bakery owned & occupied by Andrew John Pearmain.

In Kelly’s Directory for 1929 Percy James Harrison is listed as a grocer & baker and in 1948 he built a new bakehouse beside the cottage but nearer to Church Street than the original bakehouse. Mr Covell who was bombed in WW2 came to Harston & worked for Harrisons. Jane Pevley remembers going there on Good Friday for hot-cross buns.

1964 Noel & Eileen Impey re-opened the shop. Son Peter lived there in 1960s when shop was very busy. Noel Impey’s J-M 1965 planning application for change of use from storeroom to butchers shop was refused due to lack of parking, on bend with restricted view, etc.

Colin (D:2008) & Jean (D:2000) Samson were there in 1968? -70s. CJ Sansom Oct 1972 put in planning app for erection of garage & carport to replace existing garages.

Roger & Pat Phillippo & family came to Harston in April ’76 and ran the shop for a year still as a general stores (Church Street stores). In 1977 Roger took over the shop as a craft shop selling pottery, general craft stuff and his glass. He then after some years just concentrated on selling glass to be engraved by him. Then in the early 2000s he closed the shop due to crippling business rates, and traded from a cabin in the yard. Roger ceased trading in 2013. The old ‘shop’ has now made a wonderful kitchen! .

Comments about this page

Hi
My family used to live in Harston , and owned the bakers for many years.
I would like to hear of anyones memories of the Harrison family if they have any

Mandy Jeckells
mandy.jeckells@hotmail.com

This page was added on 25/10/2015.

Comments about this page

  • I lived here in the 1960s. My parents re-opened the shop in 1964, Noel and Eileen Impey. So all my secondary school years were behind the counter. In those days it was a very busy shop.

    By Peter Impey (20/04/2019)
  • So many memories! I believe the name of the the lady who lived in the bus was Miss Thorne. There we’re also a couple of caravans next to the bus. I remember being shocked as a child to see the people roaming around naked one sunny summers day!

    By Chris Hare (08/12/2017)
  • This was an awesome house to grow up in. Two stair cases at each end of the house. This brings back a lot of childhood fond memories. I used to catch the school bus by the clock shop with Melanie Gaskarth and Chris Hare. I am still friends with them today. Jean Hearn was a very good friend of my mum’s. Her son Jeffrey is a good friend of mine today.
    I remember so many people but the last time I was there I noticed so many changes. Owning the shop Mum and Dad got to meet a lot of good people and made so many friends there. They were very involved in the community.
    Sadly Mum and Dad have died, Jean Sansom in 2000 and Colin in 2008. I miss them terribly but I hold onto the fond memories of them. They were two very special people.

    By JACKIE Peterson/ Sansom (07/12/2017)
  • Seeing this certainly brings back a lot of childhood memories. I used to catch the school bus by the clock shop with Melanie Gaskarth and Chris Hare. I am friends with them today. I remember so many people but the last time I was there I noticed so many changes. It was a fabulous place to grow up in. Mum and dad made so many friends there especially owning the shop they got to meet a lot of good people. I am still friends with Jeffrey Hearne. Our parents were very good friend\\\’s. Unfortunately mum died in 2000 and Dad died in 2008. Very sad indeed. Jean and Colin Sansom. Two very special people.

    By JACKIE Peterson/ Sansom (07/12/2017)
  • We recall Colin and Jean Sansom running the shop at no. 1 Church Street from soon after we moved into Harston in the autumn of 1968. They had 2 children – Jacquie and Jane.

    We used to buy bread and paraffin (for a space heater) from the shop, and they used to look after our daughter, Gemma, sometimes in the mid to late 1970s.

    Jean died some time ago, while Colin was still alive; we last saw Colin at Iris Armstrong’s memorial service.

    By Catey & Chris Bates (09/07/2017)
  • Lovely house. Many good memories here for me. I knew the lady at Button End who lived on the double decker, and Eric the old war vet two doors down. The Lovedays and Hearns were our friends. I remember going to the clock shop and the pub around the corner as a child. I remember Mr Shoote the school principal. My name is Jane, and as a girl had a dog named Phred and my mum ran the shop as a grocery store, in the 1960-70s – The Sansoms. Anyone remember us? Harston was the best place to grow up. I now live in Vancouver Canada .

    By Jane Sansom (14/06/2017)
  • I used to live here. Jean and Colin Sansom were my mum and dad and we had a dog named Phred. Anyone remember us? My name is Jane

    By Jane (14/06/2017)

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