Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothers

Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothers was a former bakery and catering business located at 13 Hardman Street in Liverpool, England. The business is chiefly remembered as a prominent historic bakery associated with Robert Kirkland, who was born in Airdrie in 1853. Kirkland left a career in banking to join his brother in the family baking and catering enterprise. He subsequently became chairman of the business and also served as chairman of Fletcher's Limited in Birmingham. The bakery's historical significance was reinforced by the royal and imperial appointments associated with Robert Kirkland. He received a royal warrant of appointment as baker to Queen Victoria, giving the business authority to use the Royal Arms. The business was also associated with appointments connected with the King of Spain and the Emperor of Austria. These warrants indicate that the bakery operated at a level of prestige beyond that of an ordinary local bread shop, although the surviving reference material does not provide a detailed catalogue of its products, pricing, branches, or distribution network. Robert Kirkland also held a leadership role in the baking trade as president of the National Association of Master Bakers during 1890–91. This links the bakery not only to Liverpool's commercial history but also to the organization of the wider British baking industry in the late nineteenth century. The bakery continued to exist into the 1970s. It later ceased operating as a bakery, and the former premises were converted into a public house called Fly in the Loaf in the late 1990s. The change reflects the reuse of a historic commercial building rather than a continuation of the Kirkland bakery brand. The exterior of the former bakery was subsequently featured in the episode "Love's Sweet Song" from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, giving the building a further connection to popular culture. The available references do not establish an exact founding year, the identity of every Kirkland family member involved, the date of the royal warrants, or the precise date when the bakery closed. The business is therefore best classified as a defunct historic bakery and catering enterprise rather than a currently operating consumer brand.

Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothers was a bakery and catering business situated at 13 Hardman Street in Liverpool. Its surviving historical account centers on Robert Kirkland, who was born in Airdrie in 1853 and left banking to enter the baking and catering trade with his brother. Kirkland became chairman of the business and later chaired Fletcher's Limited in Birmingham, indicating that his commercial activities extended beyond the Liverpool bakery. The enterprise gained distinction through Robert Kirkland's royal and imperial appointments. He was appointed baker to Queen Victoria and was authorized to use the Royal Arms in connection with that warrant. The business was also connected with a warrant from the King of Spain and an Imperial and Royal Warrant of Appointment to the Emperor of Austria. The available account does not specify the dates of these appointments or describe the precise products supplied under them, but they demonstrate the bakery's elite institutional standing during the period in which Kirkland led it. Kirkland also served as president of the National Association of Master Bakers in 1890–91. This role placed him within the organized professional leadership of the British baking trade and adds context to the bakery's reputation. The reference material does not provide a complete chronology of the business's establishment, ownership changes, branch network, or product range. The bakery remained in existence until the 1970s. After its closure as a bakery, the premises were eventually adapted for another use. In the late 1990s, the former bakery was converted into a public house named Fly in the Loaf. This later use preserved the building's presence in the urban fabric while ending the operation of the Kirkland bakery as a food business. The building also acquired a screen connection when its exterior appeared in "Love's Sweet Song," an episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. That appearance reflects the continuing visual and historical interest of the former bakery premises. Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothers is therefore significant primarily as a documented historic Liverpool bakery, a business associated with royal warrants, and a surviving architectural and cultural reference rather than as an active modern brand.

• 1990

  Former bakery premises converted into Fly in the Loaf

  [1]Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  The former bakery building was converted into a public house called Fly in the Loaf in the late 1990s.

• 1970

  Bakery remains in operation into the 1970s

  [1]Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  The bakery continued to exist until the 1970s. The reference does not give a more precise closure date.

• 1890

  Robert Kirkland becomes president of the National Association of Master Bakers

  [1]Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  Kirkland served as president of the National Association of Master Bakers during 1890–91, linking the business's principal figure with national professional leadership in baking.

• 1853

  Birth of Robert Kirkland

  [1]Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Kirkland was born in Airdrie. He later left banking to join his brother in the bakery and catering business.

• Exterior appears in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

  [1]Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  The exterior of the former bakery was used in the episode "Love's Sweet Song" from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

A prestigious Liverpool bakery and catering business associated with royal and imperial warrants of appointment.

• Bakery products

  Bread and baked goods

  The business was a bakery, so its core commercial activity included baked food products. The available reference does not identify particular breads, pastries, recipes, or named product lines.

• Food service

  Catering services

  Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothers operated as a baking and catering business. The surviving material confirms the catering scope but does not describe specific menus, contracts, or service formats.

• 1990

  Adaptive reuse of the former bakery premisesStrategy

  Background

  After the bakery had ceased operating, the historic Hardman Street premises remained available for another commercial use.

  Action taken

  The former bakery was converted into a public house called Fly in the Loaf in the late 1990s.

  Aftermath

  The conversion ended the site's use as a bakery while retaining the building as a recognizable Liverpool commercial property.

  Source

1. 1Liverpool Vienna Bakery Kirkland Brothersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kirklands Hardman Street: A Lost Peter Ellis Building Hiding in Plain Sightbygoneliverpool.wordpress.com