Bakery Trading

Wednesday to Sunday 9am - 5pm

Restaurant Trading

Lunch:      Friday to Sunday from 12pm

Dinner:     Thursday to Saturday from 6pm

Bookings recommended 02 4934 4343

Historic Arnott Bakehouse Tours

Following the completion of the conservation and restoration of the Historic Arnott Bakehouse, the site will be open for a guided tour which includes a refreshment in the cafe. The tour takes 30 minutes with the cafe being at your leisure. Bookings are essential and maximum numbers for general tours are 15 persons. Private and corporate tours are by arrangement.

Tours are conducted on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:00am and 2:00pm, by prior arrangement. Group bookings require 7 days notice and are subject to availability.

The Historic Bakehouse

The historic Bakehouse, at present not used for commercial purposes, was probably built by Richard Chapman around 1851. Chapman was a property owner, butcher and businessman of Morpeth whose residency extended from at least 1850 to his death in 1867. The building has technical value as a rare, authentic trade industrial building providing evidence of early bakehouse design and technology. It also provides intact evidence of an early colonial workplace and represents an aspect of trade and occupation in a regional area that had direct links with Sydney and with navigation. Bakery products made in this bakehouse would have been consumed locally as well as being shipped to other parts of NSW and beyond.

The shop and residence at 148 Swan Street, Morpeth during the 1950's.

During the 1860's the bakehouse was operated by David Arnott and is the only known industrial building associated with the establishment of the Arnott's baking business in Australia. The Arnott family made a great contribution to Australia's development and provided an example of hard work and entrepreneurial business activity for others to follow. Our baker Stephen Arnott (the great great great grandson of William Arnott and his brother David who operated the Bakehouse originally) with his wife Allison are committed to the conservation of this historic Bakehouse.

As the Bakehouse was in imminent danger of collapse, emergency structural works are underway in order to prevent the permanent loss of the building. The first stage of this conservation project is completed and has encompassed major stabilisation works.

In late 2006, we settled the loan from the NSW Heritage Office, to whom we are most grateful and sincerely thank for their support for this project. Fortunately, we have on our team three specialists, Bill Jordan, Heritage Engineer of Bill Jordan and Associates, Linda Babic, Heritage Architect of Heritas Architecture and Ron Cant of Ron Cant & Son Builders, all of whom will ensure the conservation of this highly significant industrial site.

The Bakehouse to the rear of the shop prior to commencement of stabilisation, 2003.

As of January 2007, the restoration has progessed to a stage where the oven is fully operational, the roof has been replaced and the structural damage fixed such that the Bakehouse is no longer under threat of collapse. Of interest, several relics have been found during the rebuilding of the collapsed wall, such as, tiny babies shoes, both men's and women's shoes, mother of pearl buttons, smoking pipes, boot polish, china, old bottles, childrens china doll and other toys and a hessian sack full of 19th century jam tins labelled "Peacock Steam Jam Manufacture, Hobart Town". Several kind readers of our website have recently forwarded information regarding Peacock's steam jam company. George Peacock (1824-1900) was the first manufacturer of canned jam in the colonies. In 1891, Peacock retired and his business was taken over by his son, Ernest Alfred, the foreman Henry Jones and A. W. Palfreyman. This jam company would later become known as H. Jones & Co, Jam Manufacturers, Hobart & Sydney, but more famously as the IXL Jam Company.

For more information on this topic see www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050467b.htm?hilite=peacock.

Our archaeologist has inspected the site and is currently drafting a report on this rare piece of history. On completion of the restoration, our aim is to open the Bakehouse for educational purposes, so that this rare piece of industrial history can be returned to the public. We welcome any advice or historical facts regarding this project or the information contained in this web page.

Peacock Jam Tins found during the restoration of the Scotch Oven.