Swindon Baguette Bar Site Under Offer One Year After Closure

The Baguette Bar closed in March 2024. It was located on Prospect Place. Rising costs caused the closure, with Brenda Ronayne, the owner, stating that bills and rates increased. Fewer customers visited after Covid, and these factors made business hard.

Brenda and her husband John opened it, initially running it as a convenience store. John loved baguettes very much, his passion influencing the shop’s direction. Sadly, John passed away in 2003.

The community supported the shop and were sad to see it close. Lucy Hayes, who worked at the shop, described it as feeling like a community and remembered visiting as a child. The Baguette Bar was for sale in June 2024, listed for £250,000, with Whitmarsh Lockhart handling the sale.

Now, a year after its closure, the site is ‘under offer’. The building, located at 44 Prospect Place, has a shop and a flat above, with estate agents describing it as two stories. The property has parking and a courtyard garden at the rear.

An outbuilding is present for storage, and it could potentially be used as a studio or office. The property could become a home, although this would require planning permission.

The Baguette Bar remains closed, and the future buyer is still unknown. Their plans for the site are unclear. While some people are sad about the shop’s closure, others are excited for something new.

Tom Hudson, a regular customer, expressed shock at the closure, stating that people relied on the shop. Brenda owned the shop for 31 years and is now renovating her house and working on her garden pond.