It was the second bakery building CJ Whitehouse had built on the site since he bought the land in 1885, replacing a former timber structure.

These included the new Exchange Hotel (c. 1902), Neilson's new Central Hall (1902), the new Geismann's buildings (1902) and Wyman's new store in 1906 as well as Whitehouse's bakery.

As a youth he was apprenticed to an Indian Merchantman in which he sailed to India, spending time in Calcutta during a mutiny on the vessel.

For eighteen years he worked with the Queensland Railways as an engine driver, and in 1885 established a business in Laidley as a baker and confectioner.

For a time he worked the 600 acres of land he had purchased at Laidley before handing it over to the care of a bailiff in order to concentrate on his business as a baker and confectioner for a period of eleven years.

[1] In June 2001 major reconstructive work was undertaken on the southern wall of the kitchen section of the building which was funded by an EPA Heritage Grant.

The building has a hipped roof structure with decorative parapet displaying art-nouveau characteristics on the facade.

[1] The ground floor Patrick Street elevation displays four chamfered timber awning posts symmetrically placed framing the openings along the front face brick wall.

These windows flank a central doorway surmounted by a rectangular fanlight, a former public entrance to the bakery service area.

Another doorway, surmounted by an arched fanlight, stands at the northern end of the front elevation, a private entry to a separate room.

[1] The upper level elevation displays decorative cast iron balustrade panels which were first patented in Victoria by A. Maclean in 1877 [Turner, p182].

[1] The Anglo-Dutch parapet [Apperly, p114] is surmounted with three spherical finials and the central pediment displays in relief the year: "1905".

This structure is accessed by a door on the northern side which lands on a patio area constructed of original bricks from different portions of the building.

The wide timber floor boards are bowed at the northern end of the room from the constant weight of people tending the service counter which once stood in this position.

The largest room is located centrally in the rear portion of the building and contains a large timber staircase to the upper level.

[1] Whitehouse's Bakery (former), Laidley was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.

The place is important in demonstrating the evolution of Queensland's history as the substantial nature of its construction around the beginning of the 20th century reflects a period of renewed building activity and economic solidification in the town of Laidley, a trend common in many rural towns in Queensland at the time.

Its design and decorative features together with the surrounding garden, in particular the mature palm tree on the north-east corner of the block, all contribute to the aesthetic significance of the place.

[1] The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.