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Yes it's a 'sign of the times' unfortunately.

At least they haven't knocked it down to build a World of Shite superstore.

Hamshaw's was a very big deal in Leicester, occupied three sites and it's great that the Parker Drive site has been preserved (albeit full of bathrooms and toilets!!), and as many dealerships were back then it's a great looking building (maybe listed?). They started as a coachbuilder originally and became a very big Morris distributor, big showrooms, rolling road, light and heavy parts stockists, paint shops, service, they did the lot! They produced a lovely brochure at one time giving a potted history of the firm, and some nice pictures of Minis in the premises, one of some Mini vans being sprayed and signwritten, another with a Cooper S at the front of the showroom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNK2WULcloU

Found these...

Yea, theres A World of Shite Superstore everywhere in CA.

Whilst looking for a picture or two for the Period Picture thread I came across this.

The garage was on Campbell Road, Stoke. Perhaps some remember it

Recognised the building straight away. Now a charity shop and tyre fitters

This Page Motors, Leatherhead, Surrey site is now a B&Q DIY Store.......

One from my youth, Websters garage in Axminster. A BMC dealer from the mid fifties, my late Dad remembers seeing a Mini in the sales place down the road (Lyme Rd) in 1959. This was the service department. I can recall when this was up and running, a big BMC rosette on the front even in the early seventies. It was closed down mid eighties and went to rack and ruin. Around 10 years ago some locals got an artist or two to do a facade for the front. Finally last year it was demolished.

To have had the money to buy it, renovate it as a garage again and actually dos something with it. Now it's just being used as a car park.

I have read this thread since it started with great interest, History, old building and cars, three of my interests.

What I have never done is get round to researching the dealers where any of my cars came from, I really only know where one of them came from as I have all the order forms etc from new. My 1960 Morris Mini Minor came from Caffyn's in Folkestone. 141 - 143 Sandgate Rd was originally Maltby's Garage bought by Caffyn's in 1935. Caffyn's had a coach building site rebodying Rolls etc and they had a body building department at the Sandgate premises. This was destroyed by fire on Sunday 19th June 1960 https://www.caffyns.co.uk/docs/history_of_caffyns.pdf.

As you can see from the order form, my car was ordered on the Wednesday after the fire from that same address. Put a slightly new perspective on a newly widowed 30 year old lady going to order her new car from a dealership that had had a major fire only days earlier.

Caffyn's relocated to a new building in Folkestone, the building is now a Bed and Sofa shop.

Fascinating what you can find when you actually look.

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