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Wardle Street Garage, Tamworth - then...



and now...

Any one got a pic of Prouts of Launceston??

Heinz Hornet giveaway at HTP Motors in Truro...





Distributors for Austin, Morris, Riley, Wolseley, MG and commercials. Lots of history to the garage including wartime service and some pre war history here..

Hi,
just had my heritage certificate back which said my car was sold by Henlys ltd, Salisbury.
I havent found a Henlys garage, but have found Wessex motors who were part of the Henlys group.
Wondered if anyone may have some pics or info on them. Many thanks.

As I've said many times, the Heritage Certificate doesn't show who sold the car but the destination after leaving Longbridge. Wessex Motors may have sold it but as they were distributors (as shown in the above advert) they are just as likely to have obtained it for a retail dealer or stocking trader.

any one got a shot of Coldwell engineering , I drive past Coldwell lane every day ,but cant see ,where it is/was ?

As I've said many times,

You are starting to sound like me Simon

Nick W wrote:any one got a shot of Coldwell engineering , I drive past Coldwell lane every day ,but cant see ,where it is/was ?

Not a photo, but there is cine film in the video of the Coldwell Mink being built - search youtube for 'Baitings Dam' and from half way through you'll see footage in the garage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No6RPr2N-mU

Garage Footage at 2 mins in and again at 5mins

I think it was demolished for housing? Looking on Google earth, I guess about 2/3 of the way down on the East side there are 3 large detached houses set back from the road, and the access looks like the sort of place a small engineering works would have been located. (I'm speculating here, but the works look to have been a decent size in the film)

Al

Pandora wrote:

Nick W wrote:any one got a shot of Coldwell engineering , I drive past Coldwell lane every day ,but cant see ,where it is/was ?

Not a photo, but there is cine film in the video of the Coldwell Mink being built - search youtube for 'Baitings Dam' and from half way through you'll see footage in the garage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No6RPr2N-mU

Garage Footage at 2 mins in and again at 5mins

I think it was demolished for housing? Looking on Google earth, I guess about 2/3 of the way down on the East side there are 3 large detached houses set back from the road, and the access looks like the sort of place a small engineering works would have been located. (I'm speculating here, but the works look to have been a decent size in the film)

Al

nice film that ,cant see much of the garage though ,that's an odd shot at 4.24 :

Has anyone got info on Milne and Russell limited , Croydon ? . Looks like they only closed down in 2005 !!

Milne & Russell were Austin distributors in Croydon @ 1 Brighton Road. Croydon was rather unusual in that two Austin distributors were based there, the other being L F Dove & Co.

By the early 1970's L F Dove (M & R) Ltd - so I think we can guess what happened there - occupied the Brighton Road premises.

Thanks very much Simon . I can't seem to find any photos or info on the web of the dealership

So they were just a distributor of Austin cars not main dealers

Ian

In the BMC garage hierarchy a distributor is one up from a main dealer.

live a learn ,

Simon , Where do you think i could get some photos of the dealership ?

Doves, as they were known locally had a showroom and parts department in Lower Addiscombe Road on the corner of Lesley Park Road in the 70s. Very handy for parts as I lived just around the corner, it was there for.many years, but has sadly gone and turned into a petrol station and Tesco express.
Whether they moved there from Brighton Road I don't know but was only a mile or so away. Cheers Tim

Thanks Tim . No old photos i suppose ?

Ian

Hi Ian sorry no photos I,m afraid, however.....
I drove past 1 Brighton Road on the way home from work today just to see exactly where it was and what's there now. It's a single story building selling furniture I think. Interestingly its next door to one of Croydon,s old landmark historic pubs(now a tesco express, but the building remains) The Swan and Sugarloaf. After a quick google search for old photos of the pub there's a great photo from 1969 of the pub with Mk 1 cortina in foreground, a60, ado16 etc and clearly you can see a glass fronted showroom with large AUSTIN script right along the the top, next to the pub. Sorry I don't know how to get that photo onto the thread here, it's on Flickr so must be a way. Anyway it's a start, being local to the area I,ll do a bit more digging and speak to a few folk a little older than me who were in the trade back then and let you know any more info if and when, cheers Tim

Thats great thank very much Tim . The reason for this info is that i have just bought another project a MK1 Cooper and that was the supplying dealer and would love some info/photos on the dealership

Thanks again Ian

mellowyellow wrote:Doves, as they were known locally had a showroom and parts department in Lower Addiscombe Road on the corner of Lesley Park Road in the 70s. Very handy for parts as I lived just around the corner, it was there for.many years, but has sadly gone and turned into a petrol station and Tesco express.
Whether they moved there from Brighton Road I don't know but was only a mile or so away.

Doves had both premises at the same time in the early 70's.

mellowyellow wrote:Hi Ian sorry no photos I,m afraid, however.....
Interestingly its next door to one of Croydon,s old landmark historic pubs(now a tesco express, but the building remains) The Swan and Sugarloaf. After a quick google search for old photos of the pub there's a great photo from 1969 of the pub with Mk 1 cortina in foreground, a60, ado16 etc and clearly you can see a glass fronted showroom with large AUSTIN script right along the the top, next to the pub.

Here is the photo you described I think?