The clock is ticking for Ealing’s oldest bakery after the owner said that the business would close for good this Easter, writes Roisín Savage.

Brian Davis, the owner, announced on Monday that Parkers Bakery on Northfield Avenue in West London, which has been operating since 1919, will shut its doors in April.

The establishment has been operating since 1913, maintaining some of its original traditional baking methods that have fallen out of fashion in modern bakeries.

Mr Davis has been running the bakery for nearly half of its existence,  but decided to retire in 2019 after a health scare last year.

He did not intend for his departure from Parkers to be the end of the bakery itself, exploring many possible options for keeping the business open, but ultimately had to admit defeat.  

“The final resort after I exhausted the options of making sure Parkers stayed on as a going concern was to take an offer from a developer, which, though reluctant, I had to do. The bakery at the back will likely become flats now,” he explained.

Ealing Times: Jackie Keenan, Parkers employee, seen through the bakery window, with the closure sign hanging over her head. Northfield Avenue, February 2019.Jackie Keenan, Parkers employee, seen through the bakery window, with the closure sign hanging over her head. Northfield Avenue, February 2019. Loyal customers have already expressed their disappointment at losing yet another independent establishment in Northfields.

“There have been several closures on the high street over the past few years," Maggie, a local resident, said.

"We used to have a butcher's, a fish and chip shop and a greengrocers, but they’re all gone now. It's very sad to hear we’re losing Parkers too, especially after how long they’ve been here."

The bakery now hosts many disheartened interactions between staff and customers, who come in for their lunch to find a notice in the window announcing the end of this bit of local history.

Christine Fletcher, a Parkers employee of 12 years, summarised the impact of the bakery's closure on the local community. 

“We had two customers come in today who walked out the shop and just cried. A man, who sobbed his heart out. I think it’s the interaction with our customers that is the real loss here.”