Show on mapRalph Sparks Daylight Bakery was built in a striking Art Deco style in 1938
The building was designed by Robert Ridley Kitching and apparently used hot air from the bakery to heat the rest of the building
The factory closed in 1985 and has fortunately being converted into flats rather than demolished
That’s a really beautiful piece of Deco design, really glad it’s been preserved.
This was my great grandfather’s bakery. It’s nice to see still standing and proof that industry and art is possible.
We recently moved into your Grandfather old house. No 12.
It’s a beautiful house with lovely gardens.
I would just like to tell you that it has been restored to a high standard, to reflect modern living, with a lot of the original features kept as we wanted to maintain as much of the character as possible.
The workmen doing our works all commented on the quality of the work and materials when originally built. To mention just one – the mains gas was via a 4″ pipe! We joke that perhaps he piped the gas straight from the bakery.
If you know the any history of the house,bakery and four houses between, (I believe houses built for the bakery Managers/Supervisors), I would be very interested then we will be able to ensure the history/provenance will live on.
Ralph Spark was also my great grandfather! He started the bakery. His daughter Frances Taylor (nee Spark) was my grandmother, and my mother, Kathleen Joyce Baker (nee Taylor) was my mother.
When I was aged 2 -10 we lived in Aberdeenshire and were regularly sent a box of cakes from the bakery, including our Christmas cake every year. My favourites were the snowballs and raspberry drops! I don’t remember ever visiting the bakery, but it was often mentioned in the conversation of my mother and her siblings, of whom her sister Betty is the only one still alive.
My Mother-in-law, Eileen Ahern (née Whittingham) worked at Sparks Bakery from about 1957 till she was made redundant in 1985? Any one remember her? Thanks
Don’t suppose she had a few recipes one I was asked about was orthello cake thanks
Nice to meet you!!
Ralph Spark is my great-uncle x3.
Drove past this fantastic building today. It certainly has style!
I worked at sparks bakery when I left roseworth secondry modern school in 1964. started in the tin room greasing the tins .amazing place amazing people, nice to see the front of the building is still there.
Hi 🙋my name is jock does anyone remember me
Hi Susan,my name is Pauline wilkinson nee Smith,I worked with you in the tin room I’m still in touch with some of the girls we worked with at sparks.would like to know what you are doing now
I worked in the general office in the comptometer section, my first job after leaving school. Loved working there, everyone so friendly.
Is there a list of workers from 1948 onwards
When did the bakery stop production
1985 as far as I can tell.
Both my parents worked there in the late 50’s Dad was a baker and Mam filled the custard slices etc.
I am looking through my family history and see that my father’s flour Mill in Goole, Hudson Ward & Co Ltd, supplied flour to R Spark & Son in the 1960s and 1970s
Work there from 1962till it closed 1985 . Baker , billy newton
We found the comments in this thread really inspiring, when we were researching and creating some artwork of Spark’s Daylight Bakery! We admired the building so much, but are too young to have ever worked there, it’s so lovely reading your comments and imagining how it must have been.
I thought it might be nice to share our interpretation of this stunning building, I hope that’s okay by the mods? Here it is: https://abbyandowen.com/shop/sparks-daylight-bakery-print-evening-sky
– Abby
great to see this, still a stunning building – is it flats now and were Sparks just a Stockton firm?
My mum worked there from 1957 till it closed. (Eileen Whittingham) and my god mother (Millie Blackburn) mum said she loved working there.
Hi. For some of you who have worked here, I have just come across these photos here:
https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/nostalgic-images-of-well-known-stockton-bakery-that-you-knead-to-see/amp/
I don’t have anything to do with the site, just drove past the other day and found the building fantastically beautiful and wondered if there was a story. I still can’t find out why it was called the Daylight bakery though!
I worked in the despatch dept., with Fred Douglas in the 1970’s
My Mam June Rowntree (now Ellerton) worked there late 50s to early 60s. She mentions a pond or lake behind the bakery, is this true?
This brings back happy memories! I lived on Patterdale Ave Stockton as a child in the early 60’s, not far from Sparks bakery. They also had a van that used to go around selling cakes and pastries. My mam used to get us some treats every week. I am 66 now and have been living in Canada since 1980, and still miss their chocolate snowballs! They also used to have an oblong cake, with layers of sponge, strawberry blancmange and red jello on the top!
My Dad William Finn , known as Billy,or Mick the painter, dad died January 2023, @94, he worked as a painter and Decorator at bakery and the shops not sue on the dates he worked but guess late 1960,till Late 70s
When I was a kid (50s/60s) I lived in Commondale Avenue. Used to play football on ‘Sparks’s Front’, the lawn in front. Could play until late with the lights that illuminated the frontage. Didn’t appreciate it’s elegant art deco beauty til later in life!