Royal Gazette: Bermuda’s forgotten bakeries
When I began my research on Black-owned bakeries in old Bermuda, I was surprised to discover that Samuel David Robinson, a founding member of The Berkeley Institute, was a baker who inherited a bakery business from his father, David Robinson, described as a successful baker. In 1873, at the age of 25, he married Elmira Thomas and moved to the upper floor of Oldham on the corner of Dundonald Street and Princess Street.
The bakery, which traded under the name of The Hamilton Bakery, was located on the lower floor. Little more could be found as to what eventually happened to the bakery but today Oldham is the home of The Bermuda Diabetes Association.
Around the 1920s, all Black businesses were owned or managed by an individual family or a single proprietor. This all changed in 1922 when a group of Black businessmen conceived the idea of forming a consortium. This idea was encouraged by AME Bishop James Connor, Bishop of the 15th District from 1920 to 1924 who was visiting the island at that time. This encouragement, described as a revolutionary business move, led to the formation of the Quality Bakery. The building was located on Bakery Lane, just off St John’s Road in Pembroke where Standard Hardware was once located and is now the home of Medical House.