Glastonbury's historic Baily's Buildings have reopened after a major restoration, turning one of the town's best-known old factory sites into a new hub for local businesses. The first phase of the restored western building on Beckery Old Road was officially opened on Saturday, 18 July, with the first tenants expected to move in within weeks.

It is a big moment for a site that once helped keep Glastonbury working, long before regeneration boards, ribbon-cuttings and funding bids entered the chat. The buildings closed in the 1980s, but their roots go back to the 1800s, when the site operated as a tannery, glove maker and rug manufacturer.

What are Baily's Buildings?

Baily's Buildings sit on Beckery Old Road and were once among Glastonbury's main employers. The site later became known for sporting goods, including boxing gloves worn by Henry Cooper, Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson.

The buildings are now looked after by the Beckery Island Regeneration Trust, known as BIRT. The trust has been working with Beard Construction and Dowlas Property Group for more than three years to bring the western building back into use.

What has changed?

The first two phases of the restoration have now been completed, creating office and employment space across four storeys. The building also has a secure car park, electric vehicle charging hub, high-speed broadband, heating, air conditioning and a new lift.

The work has not simply scrubbed the place clean and stripped out the story. Much of the original brickwork has been retained, along with many of the original windows, giving the restored building a new purpose without pretending it was built last Tuesday.

Who is moving in?

Dowlas project manager Matt Tyler said tenants have already taken space on the first and second floors, as well as part of the third floor. He said the occupiers have around 50 staff between them.

The ground floor is still to be let, but Mr Tyler said there had already been strong interest. The ambition is for that space to be used for manufacturing, bringing a slice of industry back to a part of Glastonbury that was once defined by it.

He said: "It's amazing to be able to see this work finished — it's phenomenal. We've got the ground floor yet to let, but we've had a lot of interest in it. We want that to be a manufacturing space, bringing some industry back to Glastonbury."

Why does it matter?

The project is backed by around £7m of central government funding through the Glastonbury town deal. Rather than waiting for every part of the building to be finished before opening the doors, the work is being done in stages so completed spaces can be marketed and let while the next phases are planned.

That matters because rental income from the finished units can be fed back into the building. It is a practical approach to a very Glastonbury challenge: saving the heritage, making the numbers work and trying not to let a landmark sit empty while everyone waits for the perfect funding package to fall from the sky.

The official opening drew more than 100 residents and dignitaries. BIRT trustee Ian Tucker, who served on Glastonbury Town Council for 50 years between 1972 and 2022, opened the event outside the buildings.

Mr Tucker linked the site to one of Glastonbury's most famous pieces of musical folklore. He said it was said that Sir Hubert Parry had stood on Wearyall Hill around 100 years ago, seen smoke from the nearby chimney and been inspired to set William Blake's poem Jerusalem to music.

The opening included two renditions of Jerusalem, led by members of Glastonbury Brass Band and featuring local choirs. The building was then formally blessed by Reverend Alice Watson, vicar of St John's Church in Glastonbury.

She said: "We give thanks for the history and the deep roots of this place, for the many who have walked through its doors, for all who have given so much to the town of Glastonbury and this building in particular.

"We give thanks for all that will be, for the ways in which this project will enrich people's lives, for all who will work here and for all it will mean for our town."

Glastonbury mayor Zoe Prince said the restored building celebrated both the town's heritage and its future. She said she was delighted to see it given a new lease of life and hoped it would serve the community for many years to come.

What happens next?

The project is not finished yet. Further phases are planned, including additional toilets on the ground floor, space for a café and more flexible offices or workspaces.

BIRT is also bidding for grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to move later phases forward. Trustees are expected to find out on 8 August whether the project has reached the second round of the bidding process.

Mr Tyler said: "We're starting to work on the next phases — but it's just a question of getting funding. We are putting forward a lot of funding applications — we want to complete the building and make it a space for everybody.

"We want to get community and business support for what we're doing, because this is an asset for the whole community, regenerating this part of Glastonbury for the benefit of the whole town."

Somerset Council deputy leader Liz Leyshon, who represents the neighbouring Street division, said the council would do what it could through its economic development team to support the remaining work. She said she remembered the area as the industrial heart of Glastonbury when her children were young.

She said: "They've done a beautiful job; this quality of restoration makes it a better building than it ever was. This is the biggest of the town deal projects, and it's the one where most people will come in to work."

Original reporting: Daniel Mumby/LDRS

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