Restoration of Coleorton Communal Bakehouse
Coleorton Communal Bakehouse is located on The Moor, Coleorton, and had been used by the owners as a garden store.
In December of 2010 during the very bad weather the roof collapsed taking out a large part of the south wall and the gable of the east wall.
The Coleorton 2000 Committee (which became the Coleorton Heritage Group) led by Mike Cox, undertook the restoration of the building and through the following year the volunteers gradually took the old bakehouse from a ruin to a viable structure. The bricks were re-used as far as possible with additional bricks obtained from an old building being up-graded, and from the old mine buildings at the Swannington Windmill site. The timber was largely rotten and beyond recovery and new larch was used for the main purloins and wallplates. The door lintel was made from seasoned oak, and the rafters were re-cycled from a building having a roof extension. The roof tiles were used where possible, but a substantial number of re-claimed rosemary tiles had to be incorporated. The old window frame was recovered from the ruin, restored and re-installed, although it was fitted a little further East to avoid the structure of the ovens.
The final tiles were fitted and mortared to the chimney on the 2nd of December 2011. The window was glazed to stop birds nesting in the building, and a new oak door installed, donated by a local company. A walk-way was made around part of the building using the remaining bricks.
The internal oven structure has yet to be restored. One of the ovens was largely destroyed to make way for a hearth, but the other oven is essentially intact and only needs a cast iron door to enable bread to be baked once more.
Bakehouse before restoration
This photo was taken by Helene Towers in September 2009 before restoration work started. Half the building fell down not long after it was taken!
Coleorton bakehouse in the snow
View from the road
This picture shows how small the building looks from The Moor compared to "normal" houses.
Bakehouse ovens
Working on the roof
Bakehouse topping-out
Bakehouse topping-out Friday 16th December 2011
Andrew Bridgen MP & Mike Cox, project manager
Bakehouse topping-out Friday 16th December 2011
Bakehouse topping-out Friday 16th December 2011
Bakehouse topping-out Friday 16th December 2011
Mike Cox, in charge of the Bakehouse Project, and Robert Smith
Bakehouse topping-out Friday 16th December 2011
From the left: Heritage Warden Rob Oldham, John Towers, Laurence the builder, Brian Bartram, Mick Specht, Bob Baxendale, Mike Cox in doorway, Andrew Bridgen, Robert Smith.
15 July 2012
Andrew Raffle has now fitted the new oak stable door and it really sets off the building
15 July 2012
Restored walls and window
October 2018
The Bakehouse was one of our first Blue Plaque sites.
Future
The Bakehouse on the Moor is the last surviving bakehouse building in Coleorton - there used to be four - and it was one of the first sites to be designated with the Coleorton Blue Plaque.
Since restoration there has been concern over maintenance and long-term viability since it was still in private ownership. Thankfully the owner was well aware of the value of the Bakehouse to the community and has transferred ownership to Coleorton Parish Council. The Heritage Group is working with the Parish Council on a plan to tidy the surrounding area, set up a maintenance schedule and provide an information board so the public can read about the history.
The internal oven structure has yet to be restored. One of the ovens was largely destroyed to make way for a hearth, but the other oven is essentially intact and only needs a cast iron door to enable bread to be baked once more.