The Humer Unbeam Interesting Filling Stations Thread

[PHmember]

This place was pretty cool, on the way to Dunkeswell Aerodrome, Devon. It even had the rubber strip that made a bell ring when you drove onto the forecourt & the attendants would come out & fill the car up for you. At least they still did about 10 years ago:

[CatfishCKY]

Benmac said:

Regularly go past the one in Ashford Hill on my way to somewhere just up the road from there.

The one that springs to mind for me is in Stockbridge in Hampshire. Long while since disappeared as a petrol station and is now a coffee shop but when I was a nipper it was a garage with a single pump. The odd soffits on the building always interested me for some reason and while now a coffee shop they seem to have kept and restored something that looks like an old pump.

https://goo.gl/maps/08VcP

Nice, hope to see you around!

You know, I've been past that Stockbridge place many times, and I've never noticed that! I will have a look next time I'm past!
Looks like they've really kept it in character!

[LordGrover]

I suspect many of these find it difficult to stay trading when even the biggies seem to struggle.
Maybe we, by we I mean someone else, could arrange to visit these interesting places for a fill-up as often as possible to ensure they stay open.

[PositronicRay]

LordGrover said:

I suspect many of these find it difficult to stay trading when even the biggies seem to struggle.
Maybe we, by we I mean someone else, could arrange to visit these interesting places for a fill-up as often as possible to ensure they stay open.

The problem is tank maintenance, it get's to a stage where very expensive underground tanks need to be replaced. A two pump garage can't pump the volume to make the cost viable. Deisel is easier because the tanks can be on the surface.

[djdest]

NickGibbs said:

Recnelty drove past this place in Norfolk not far from Hethel. Old Buckenham is the village

How many surviving Reliant specialists can there still be?

Grays of Thrapston were a Relant garage for as long as I can remember, mostly dealing with Robins.
More recently they started selling Aixam or whatever they're called.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.400582,-0.524561...

Another local one is Queensbury Road Garage in Kettering, mostly specialising in Scimitars.
They've been open for donkeys years, and were (I guess still are) regarded as one of the best Scimitar specialists in the world.
My ex's Dad was a mechanic there, and they used to have tons of them in for work and restoration

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.393908,-0.729812...

[DickyC]

PHmember said:

This place was pretty cool, on the way to Dunkeswell Aerodrome, Devon. It even had the rubber strip that made a bell ring when you drove onto the forecourt & the attendants would come out & fill the car up for you. At least they still did about 10 years ago:

We stopped at a filling station in Cornwall just like this one coming back from a holiday some years ago. A sign warned that it was "The Last Petrol Before" something or other. The owner was a man of few words and we stood in silence as he filled the car. Eventually he nodded towards black clouds to the east and said, "It be rainin' in England."

[DickyC]

Taff's Well, north west of Cardiff, ten minutes from the M4 and five minutes from the A470.

I find it really easy to picture it clean and shiny and busy with cars in and out all day.

Edited by DickyC on Thursday 19th March 07:23

[Impasse]

Just a few steps from the very busy Bristol Temple Meads train station. Image from that there Google place.

[Rickyy]

Peterston Super-Ely.

[DickyC]

The Gibb, which may well qualify as a hamlet rather than a village, on the B4039 to Castle Combe has a filling station up for sale. When it was functioning, The Gibb Garage was a Mercedes specialist amongst other things.

[Butter Face]

One in St Mawes in Cornwall was posted earlier in the thread and I was there a bit back so got a live pic!



There's also this very old one on the way out of St Mawes, it was a petrol station and they also used to sell British Leyland cars too!!

[felixgogo]

Melbourne, sadly the pumps have gone.

[ess]

Great thread.

Love this one in Penshurst, Kent



This used to be my local when living in Copenhagen. On the coast road just south of Klampenborg.
Designed by Arne Jacobsen 1930's

[hidetheelephants]

That really needs some impossibly flash coachbuilt Salmson or Talbot Lago parked by the pumps, with swoopy Figoni et Falaschi or Saoutchik bodywork.

[ess]

hidetheelephants said:

That really needs some impossibly flash coachbuilt Salmson or Talbot Lago parked by the pumps, with swoopy Figoni et Falaschi or Saoutchik bodywork.

Original drawing



Not quite as your suggestions but these 2 compliment the architecture quite well.

[Zerotonine]

Great thread OP

Here is one that I know the location of, there may be a couple of extras once I find them

Wroughton, near Swindon, courtesy of Google Maps

[Butter Face]

Quite a cool one from Grampound in Cornwall, when you're stepped back in street view you see the old petrol station complete with pumps...



One step forward shows it as the car sales a garage it is now!!



Also, this one near Camborne was open right up to the 90's despite the fact that it was rendered pretty much obsolete by the new dual carriageway that bypassed it completely in the late 60's! It's been for sale for the best part of 20 years!!

[gforceg]

Benmac said:

Regularly go past the one in Ashford Hill on my way to somewhere just up the road from there.

The one that springs to mind for me is in Stockbridge in Hampshire. Long while since disappeared as a petrol station and is now a coffee shop but when I was a nipper it was a garage with a single pump. The odd soffits on the building always interested me for some reason and while now a coffee shop they seem to have kept and restored something that looks like an old pump.

https://goo.gl/maps/08VcP

Great thread OP, thanks. I recognise a few of these in the South West.

I've had petrol from this one in Stockbridge, maybe 15ish years ago. I'll add a few of my own later.

Right then, I've become enthused. The first batch are all within about 5 miles of each other along the A30 London Rd north east of Salisbury (and what does that tell us about competition and room for everyone?). It's where I grew up and started driving so they tend to stick!

Some are not even there anymore but you'll see what I mean.

I nearly got killed by a guy overtaking me while I was trying to turn right near here.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.099747,-1.728141...


No story for this one.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.10184,-1.710266,...

Behind the flint and brick wall where the houses are used to be Lopcombe Corner petrol station (when the road priorities were the other way round at that junction, anyone remember that?).

In about 1982 I covered a couple of Sunday morning shifts for a mate of mine who was off doing his bike test. Imagine a garage owner letting someone step in to cover these days without a H&S session or two.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.117553,-1.645443...

Right, another mile up the road to Stockbridge we have... yep, not even there anymore. Used to be a tiny garage my dad used to use all the time to or from work.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.116718,-1.631671...

Right, that's enough memory lane bashing for now. Once again, great thread Dicky.

Edited by gforceg on Saturday 2nd May 20:03

[surveyor]

Butter Face said:

One in St Mawes in Cornwall was posted earlier in the thread and I was there a bit back so got a live pic!


There's also this very old one on the way out of St Mawes, it was a petrol station and they also used to sell British Leyland cars too!!

Remember my dad taking his car there after my grandfather buggered up the carb setup.

Edited by surveyor on Saturday 2nd May 20:06

[YorkshirePudding]

There's one on the moors above Hebden Bridge that's not been used in years,

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.742586,-2.122113...

Not sure if the one just down the road from Cadwell Park is still going,

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.291336,-0.089194...