Memories of Memory Lane Cakes in Whitecross

Memory Lane Cakes had been a fixture in Whitecross for decades.

So it was a bitter blow to the 500 staff at the 70-year-old Delamere Street factory in 2000 when company bosses said a downturn in sales was forcing its closure and operations were to be transferred to the firm’s Cardiff plant.

The move followed a much-publicised battle for survival which saw crisis talks between the company, Warrington Borough Council and the wider business community within the town.

The factory, formerly the Bennett’s Bakery, was one of the town’s oldest firms and had been central to the Whitecross area for decades, with generations of families being employed there.

The former factory, off Lovely Lane, is now home to a large housing development.

Gone are the smells of cake in the area and the hundreds of Swiss rolls which were made there over the decades.

But before it was Memory Lane, it was better known as Bennetts.

Janice Hayes, honorary curator at Warrington Museum, can take on the story after digging out this old picture from after the Second World War.

Workers when it was known as Bennetts

She said: “Memory Lane only seems to have been used as their trading name from about 1978.

“Bennett’s was founded by Henry and Herbert Bennett around 1932 and was originally sited just off Lovely Lane in Goulden Street.

“They moved to Delamere Street in 1938/9.

“The photograph attached isn’t dated but is probably just past the Second World War.

“John Jones on the extreme right of the photo was the first salesman employed by Bennett’s . He originally made his deliveries to shops in Warrington, Runcorn and Widnes in his horse-drawn van.”