8th November 2002 was the date which saw the end of an era at Old Ford Lock in Bow, East London. Lock Keepers Cottages, location of The Big Breakfast since 1992 caught fire in a suspected arson attack. Salsoul Nugget editor of The Brekkie Network has been to Old Ford Lock and describes the scene as extremely upsetting - the most horrible thing being the smell. Johnny & Denise are reported to be shocked that someone could have done such a thing while reports are that £400,000 of damage has been caused to the building. It seems that the house has now come full circle being returned to the state it was in when producers first started construction in 1992.

The house was put on the market soon after and was expected to fetch more than £1 million. But the fire destroyed the roof and almost half of the first floor. Twenty firefighters battled for almost two hours to control the blaze, which is thought to have started in the second floor of the two-storey building. Foul play is suspected because the building was unoccupied and no longer had an electrical or gas supply, said the Fire Brigade spokesman.

Since the fire in November there have been encouraging signs that Lock Keeper's cottages will be better looked after in the future. An 8 ft high security fence now surrounds the property where the picket fence once stood and blue plastic sheeting is covering the damage to the roof. Meanwhile all doors and windows have now been covered with sheet metal and graffiti which was daubed all over the 'sunrise' wall in the back garden has been scrubbed clean.

source bbc.co.uk/ananova.co.uk

The following pictures are © Marc Neun 20th March 2003 and should not be used without permission...

On March 20th BB Fan Marc Neun paid a visit to Lock Keepers Cottages. After reading on Bow Locks that the house was in a sorry state he wanted to see it for himself but he ended up getting a lot more than he bargained for - he met the new owner and was even invited inside the house:

"The new owners are a family with young children.  When I arrived they were sectioning off the fire damage part (presumably so they can live in the other side).  The guy that I was chatting to said he had never seen the programme! The fire really has wiped out most of the lounge and kitchen.  The floor is littered with cue cards and props.  I didn't get a look upstairs as the roof is unsafe.  It was quite dark too as all the windows have been boarded up."

"All I know is that when I visited, the opposite end to the lounge and French windows had been sectioned off, so that the family could live in the house while it is being renovated. I was speaking to the new owner who believed that the BB house (as it was) will eventually be forgotten.  It seems I wasn't the only fan to pay homage! They also say that Planet 24 left them the 'off air' out-takes tapes, but they had not seen many editions of the show."

As you can see the house is actually in good shape. Early reports of the whole of the 1st floor being destroyed were rubbish. Although the roof is currently extremely unstable it is possible to rebuild. Most damage to the ground floor is superficial - smoke and water damage. The pictures show a lot of damage to the ceilings of the lounge and hallway however this probably was more to do with P24 ripping studio equipment out of the house rather than the fire. It should also be noted that the ceiling of the living room was already in a sorry state while the show was still on air.

It is good to know that the new owner fully intends to restore Lock Keepers Cottages. Sadly now the house is in private hands and intended for residential use I really can't see the show's identity lasting long at the house. While externally the house will probably go unchanged I expect we've seen the last of The Big Breakfast's day-glo colours inside Lock Keepers cottages. Although the family now residing in the house seem very friendly and were willing to let Marc in to take pictures we must respect their privacy. The house is theirs now. We've had 10 years of memories from Lock Keepers Cottages, they are just beginning theirs and I'm sure they don't want them interrupted by fanboys brandishing cameras at their front door!

We must also say a big thankyou to Marc for sharing these photos with the web community. He could have held on to them, put them up on ebay but he didn't. His generosity has ensured that all Big Breakfast fans get one last glimpse inside Lock Keepers cottages...

More internal post-fire pictures will be here soon!

Have you got pictures or details of Lock Keepers Cottages you'd like to share? Email A Load Of Bow Locks now!