'Labour of love' exhibition opens about Greenalls bakery in St Helens

Beloved for its steak and meat and potato pies, as well as its tasty selection of tarts, slices, and cakes, E & C Greenalls became a staple of Duke Street and was one of the town's most loved businesses.

Launched by Elizabeth Greenall in 1954, the business was taken on by her son Colin in 1970 and stood proud for a impressive 68 years.

Following the huge response to the closure of the bakery last year, an exhibition in honour of Colin and the business is now on show at St Helens Library in the World of Glass.

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Greenalls stood proud for 68 years on Duke Street (Image: Mark Peachey)
The exhibition has been created by local resident Mark Peachey, who wanted to document the beloved bakery before it was too late.

Mark said: "I know a lot of small independent shops have closed along Duke Street over the years and sadly no-one really documented them.

"They were places that were the pillar of the local community [and] Colin himself has said many of his customers became friends over the years, and a lot of retail has since been replaced by self-service supermarkets and online shopping, so that personal contact is being lost.

"So I wanted to document the shop before it was too late, and I photographed Colin and the interior of the bakery, and also did an oral history interview with him, which is also part of the exhibition."

Colin took over the business from his mum in 1970 (Image: Mark Peachey)
Alongside the information provided by Mark, there is also a book of photographs of Colin and the shop throughout the years, which includes when Duke Street celebrated the 1977 Silver Jubilee, and photos of various bread wheatsheafs Colin did to support Saints in Challenge Cup finals in the 1970s.

Throughout his time with the bakery owner and chairman of the Sankey Canal Restoration Society, Mark said that Colin was a friendly and humble man, who couldn't believe the interest in him and the shop.

As Greenalls and its pies were so highly thought of throughout the town, Mark hopes that Sintelliners can head down to the World of Glass exhibition before its closing date on Friday, November 24.

The exhibition will then move into St Mary's Market as part of the Reside Arts festival until Monday, December 20.

The World of Glass exhibition runs until November 24 (Image: Mark Peachey)