'Scotland's oldest bakery' up for sale after 200 years

Claire and Barry Taylor took over the bakery in 1997

Twenty-eight years ago, Barry and Claire Taylor became the sixth generation of their family to take over what is believed to be Scotland's oldest bakery.

The couple met while studying painting at art school in Cheltenham before returning to Barry's hometown of Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, to continue the family business - a route Claire had never expected to go down.

"The clues were there," she said. "At one point Barry had one of the bakery vans at college with Alexander Taylor printed on the side.

"It was a bit of a novelty really, but at that point I didn't anticipate the bakery would be part of the deal for us.

"It was just circumstances in the end, we were in the right place at the right time."

When Barry's father was no longer able to run the business, the couple worked there for a while with his family, then eventually bought it over from his parents.

But now after more than 200 years in the Taylor family, Barry and Claire have decided it is time to move on and sell the bakery.

The bakery has been in the same location since it opened in 1820

Alexander Taylor has been at the heart of the South Lanarkshire town since it opened in 1820, yet Claire and Barry both said each generation has put its own spin on it to meet the needs of the time period.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Strathaven was a small, rural town.

Barry said his family were originally farmers when two of the brothers moved away to start the business, with parish records showing the purchase of building materials.

Production was said to be small at first as the bakery was one of seven within the town centre when it first opened.

It is the only one that still remains today.

"In the Victorian era, my great-grandfather began to develop it more because there used to be a courtyard at the back," Barry said.

"Then in the 1920s, Strathaven became a town people would come to for day trips as the coaches which ran from Ayrshire to Edinburgh would stop there, so my family did a lot of catering towards that.

"There weren't catering companies so people relied on the bakeries."

The Taylor family have continued to develop the business through the decades

Barry said he remembers his great-uncle still living in the premises when he was a child during the 1970s, but his son - Alexander Taylor - had died when he was young and the business was passed down to Barry's father.

"When I was of toddler age, I used to have a little wheelbarrow and I would bring stuff through to the shop from the bakehouse," Barry said.

"I don't really remember that but I have vivid memories of the bakehouse at different stages and the characters that worked there."

Even under Barry and Claire, the bakery has gone through several changes as the couple experimented with different recipes and new angles.

"We've came full circle, people are really appreciating the places that are unique to their area again and I think we've become an institution in Strathaven," Claire said.

"People are met here with a friendly face and we're part of a mix of things that make this town what it is."

At one point, Claire even organised pop-up art exhibitions in the building at the back of the bakery, which is used as a storeroom.

The bakery is now known for its sourdough, which Barry said he started baking before it became popular.

Barry said baking sourdough is one his favourite aspects of the bakery

After decades of early mornings and long working hours, Barry and Claire soon hope to pass Alexander Taylor Bakery on to new owners and return to their creative roots as artists.

"We've always known that we can't do what we do forever and we feel like we have put a long shift in," Claire said.

"I've had people say 'I hope you never sell' and come up to me in absolute horror.

"But the main thing is we don't want to run out of enthusiasm."

A seventh generation of the Taylor family running the bakery could have been on the cards but the couple believe they are making the right decision and are doing what is best for the business.

Like Barry, who is said to have the bakery "in his blood", their two, now adult, children have grown up in and around the bakery.

Claire said: "In lockdown, our son and daughter worked with us and it was just the four of us - literally a family-run business.

"It's probably my favourite memory from the last 35 years working here.

"It was strangely really enjoyable and I feel proud of that time."

The bakery shops sits on one side of the street, while the cafe is on the other

But Barry and Claire's son is at university and their daughter is a cyclist so Claire said she didn't think the bakery was their passion or part of their plans for the future.

"They have a great enthusiasm and respect for what we do but it's something I don't think they should feel burdened with," she said.

"In any other walk of life you wouldn't necessarily expect that you would do the same job as your parents have done.

"It is a unique thing for businesses that are family-run and what the Taylor family has done, it's quite an unusual thing for it to be in same family for so long."