Castle Bakery

[Admin (Matt)]

Castle Bakery was established in Beaumaris over 125 years ago in 1885, Beaumaris is where King Edward 1 built one of his Castles. Castle bakery is situated in the centre of the historic town  of Beaumaris, on the Island of Anglesey off the North Wales coast, U.K..                        

Our founder member of the family business was William Roberts’s farther who was a master builder and stonemason, and son of a brick maker. Using his fathers skills of building kilns for firing bricks, he was able to build ovens to bake bread and his wife Catherine had gained baking experience at Liverpool Bakery College, and so he established his three sons with bakeries in the local area, believing in the fact that people would always want good fresh bread, baked daily.

In 1885 Young William Roberts who had initially gone out to Patagonia, arrived back in Beaumaris. His parents had to pay seven sovereigns for his return trip. William who had recently married Mary was to run the Bakery in Castle Street Beaumaris, they soon opened a Tea Room above the Bakery, (Castle Café) to cater for the farmers on market day and the wealthy Victorian business people now settling here and commuting to Liverpool via the early paddle steamers docking at Beaumaris’s pier.

In 1922 John Glynne Roberts and his wife Ellen Catherine Roberts took over running the bakery from their uncle William and auntie Mary, and in the same year their son Trevor was born. They ran the business up to, and through the difficult war years, during which time Trevor attended  Bakery College at Wrexham and promptly signed up as a Baker in the Royal Navy at the start of the Second World War.

In 1949 Trevor married Mair and took over the reins of running the business, and put to good use all he had learnt at College and the wealth of experience gained at sea, mostly on H.M.S. Duke of York baking for King George VI, Winston Churchill and the Duke of Edinburgh to name a few.  From 1952 to 1961, saw the birth of the next generation of the family, Elizabeth another  John Glynne and Gareth Wyn Roberts. During which time Trevor  would leave  the business in the capable hands of Mair, as he went backwards and forwards to sea, in the merchant navy as baker, in order to supplement the business to allow it to expand.

In 1964 Trevor decided to leave the sea and open the second outlet with a Shop and Tea room at Menai Bridge on Anglesey. Elizabeth was soon to attend Bakery College at Wrexham, continuing in the family tradition. Trevor felt the bakery could support yet other outlets, and with the added assistance of his daughter Elizabeth opened a Shop/Café in Holyhead on Anglesey, “Siop y Bara Da” “The Good Bread Shop” at 293 High Street Bangor, 212  High Street Bangor,  Meantime Gareth Wyn Roberts was attending Liverpool Bakery College, and John Glynne Roberts was to assist the  business, to cope with the expanding demands .

1985 saw the business celebrate its Centenary year, and was marked by a party for all members of staff and family, and also saw the opening of a  Bakery and Shop at 35 Pool Street Caernarfon, which was soon expanded to provide a café. A second bakery and shop in Holyhead was acquired. Soon followed with the opening of a third outlet at Holyhead. Meanwhile Elizabeth’s son Jamie Roberts was now attending Bakery College at Llandrillo.

1998 Trevor passed away leaving Mair and the three children to carry on the business. Trevor had become a well known local character in the town, and had become Mayor in 1976,  and celebrated the success of his business by buying a new Rolls Royce, and subsequently became known affectionately by his friends and associates as “Trevor Rolls” . Bread rolls ? or Rolls Royce Silver Shadow ?

In 1999 another bakers shop became available in the High Street at Porthmadog, bringing the number of outlets to nine.

2007 Mair passed away, but was instrumental in the running of the business until the very end, indeed Trevor constantly used to remark that he could never have achieved the success of the business with out her energy, strength and support.

2011 has seen the next step in our development, to open our online shop. We are a busy traditional  family bakers, using the recipes and skills of our grandfathers, which  have been handed down through the generations, and form the most stable foundation for our business today. All the family are to be seen working hands on in the business, be it in the office/bakery on the vans and in the shops/cafes, and are all on first name terms with all the staff.

We now serve over a million local customers every year , and are looking to expand the sales of our unique recipes and products for all to enjoy. The family have baked for Royalty in the past, and whilst based on Anglesey “perhaps we may well do it again“. In the words of Prince William “being  true Anglesonians”. !!!

 

 

Castle Bakery Sites at :-

7/9 Castle Street, Beaumaris Anglesey, N. Wales, LL58 8AP
tel. [phone]

25 High Street, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, N. Wales, LL59 5EF
tel. [phone]

85/87 Market Street, Holyhead, Anglesey, N. Wales, LL65 1UW
tel. [phone]

293 High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, N. Wales, LL57 1UL
tel [phone]

212 High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, N. Wales, LL57 1 NY
tel [phone]

35 Pool Street, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, N. Wales, LL55 2AD
tel [phone]

County Buildings, Stanley Street, Holyhead, Anglesey, N. Wales, LL65 1HG
tel [phone]

3 Stanley Street, Holyhead, Anglesey, N. Wales, LL65 1HG
tel [phone]

105 High Street, Porthmadog, Gwynedd, N. Wales, LL49 9HA
tel [phone]