Page 16 - Issue 67 Online

No.29 shop girls and a driver. At one time they had four

vans on the road and delivered in Christchurch,
HIGH Welney, 16-Foot Bank, Haddenham and
Stretham, as well as serving fish and chips from
the front room!
STREET The bakery was behind the shop - there was a
hand operated bread maker, dough machine,
cake machine, a bread-slicer and a double and

Much of this still remained when the site was
As you will have noticed the corner of High Street single oven which worked with copper piping.
and Park Road has changed a bit! For the last renovated and will be displayed in the garden
30+years it has be derelict and boarded up. Now, area at the rear of the café.
newly renovated and partly rebuilt it houses our At Christmas the bakery was especially busy
new café No.29. We opened in November and - one Sunday before Christmas was Logging
hoped to bring a bit of positivity and cake to the Sunday when they made chocolate logs. They
people of Manea during this difficult time. We
are also showcasing local arts and crafts and
hope in the future to be able to offer a meeting
place for the community.
Long-standing Manea residents will remember The bread ovens
No.29 as a bakery, many people remember will be displayed in
working or shopping there. When the shop the garden
was bought, I was put in touch with Mrs Jessie
Bridgement who lived and worked at number
29 with her parents from 1946-1960. Mrs
Bridgement did us the honour of opening the
café in November.
made Christmas cakes and iced fancies, which
Originally from Cornwall Jessie’s father was the Jessie’s mum packed in the front room, as well
baker, Mr Baton. Jessie worked at the bakery as sausage rolls and mince pies.
with her dad, Mr French (his assistant), two
One of the highlights of
Jessie’s life at the bakery
was Coronation Day in June
1953. Local artist Maggie
Powell (maggiepowellart.
co.uk) spoke to her about
the day and has created
a picture of the bakery
in 1953, complete with
red, white and blue floral
Bakery in the 1930s showing the ladder displays, based on these
leading to the grain store memories.

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