The Humer Unbeam Interesting Filling Stations Thread
Discussion
When I went to collect a car from Upper Heyford I looked for those. This would explain why I couldn't find them.
However, I went to collect a car from Burnett Business Park, a former MoD base - whose purpose I have been unable to discover - south of Keynsham and found this:
When I remarked in the hire company's office that their walls seemed rather thick, they told me the building had been the ammunition dump.
However, I went to collect a car from Burnett Business Park, a former MoD base - whose purpose I have been unable to discover - south of Keynsham and found this:
When I remarked in the hire company's office that their walls seemed rather thick, they told me the building had been the ammunition dump.
The incorrect spelling is so close you'd think the inter magic lantern net would cope with it.
Thanks for that.
My godfather thought the temporary airfields built in the Home Counties which came and went alarmingly quickly should be recorded by having books written about them. He managed to write one slender volume before he lost most of the use of his hands. He can't type any more. Lovely chap he is, I should get in touch with him.
Thanks for that.
My godfather thought the temporary airfields built in the Home Counties which came and went alarmingly quickly should be recorded by having books written about them. He managed to write one slender volume before he lost most of the use of his hands. He can't type any more. Lovely chap he is, I should get in touch with him.
LankyLegoHead said:
These only got demolished this year, with a lot of other buildings that have otherwise been unused since '94 when the US Air Force left RAF Upper Heyford. Did take quite a few pictures of cars up there over the past few years, weirdly now I live about 200 yards from this site where the new houses are. These pumps were in Dollars, which was cool.
Starcross in South Devon. I saw it recently from the train and this week when I was delivering a car down that way I took a bit of a detour for a top up.
It's that lovely part of the south Devon coast where the railway runs adjacent to the sea along by Dawlish that tends only to appear in the media when the sea washes the track away.
The owner, who served me at the pumps, said he'd had enough and had applied for planning permission for flats.
STARCROSS GARAGE - MOORING SERVICES
Marvellous.
But as marvellous as it is, I think the next one gets my vote. It's at Blackmore near Ingatestone in Essex. Two brothers - presumably the Wakelins - run it and have run it for as long as anyone can remember. As you pull in one of them emerges from the cottage on the right.
Untroubled by progress, the two old boys carry on as they always have. So that's closed on Sunday, closed for an hour at lunchtime, half day Wednesday.
Long may they continue.
It's that lovely part of the south Devon coast where the railway runs adjacent to the sea along by Dawlish that tends only to appear in the media when the sea washes the track away.
The owner, who served me at the pumps, said he'd had enough and had applied for planning permission for flats.
STARCROSS GARAGE - MOORING SERVICES
Marvellous.
But as marvellous as it is, I think the next one gets my vote. It's at Blackmore near Ingatestone in Essex. Two brothers - presumably the Wakelins - run it and have run it for as long as anyone can remember. As you pull in one of them emerges from the cottage on the right.
Untroubled by progress, the two old boys carry on as they always have. So that's closed on Sunday, closed for an hour at lunchtime, half day Wednesday.
Long may they continue.
In the sticks in Zummerzet south of Wincanton. I'd picked up a skanky Zafira in yet another derelict Second War aerodrome with less than half a tank of fumes and needed some fuel badly.
"Diesel?" probed le patron suspiciously.
"Yes, please."
"Cash?" unable to contain his distrust.
"Yes. Could I have a receipt?"
"Of course," all hurt suddenly.
You only sell diesel and you only deal in cash. How could I possibly think a receipt might be a stretch?
J.C... said:
This is a fantastic thread.
This isn't a petrol station but still a nice garage in Kings Heath
Garages most welcome, JC. They are mentioned in the opening post but didn't make it into the thread title for some reason.*This isn't a petrol station but still a nice garage in Kings Heath
* A lady asked Dr Johnson why he had defined a word incorrectly in his original English Dictionary: "Ignorance, Madam, pure ignorance."
In Colchester. A quick scout round led me believe the pumps - when it still had pumps - were quite close to the road so that the outboard cars were more or less in the road. If I'm right, pedestrians would have had to make their own arrangements. Different times.
The garage sign is a lash-up over the old fuel company sign.
This one in Middlewich, just off the M6 south of Warrington, also provided material for the Classics Spotted and Classics Left to Die threads.
Le patron told me the garage was built by the first owner in 1929 exclusively for motorcycles as he was sure the car would never catch on. Despite the continued popularity of motorbikes he went out of business in the thirties when the business was bought by a chap who ran it as a more conventional garage until the late seventies when the current owners took over.
Opposite the garage is the canal (I've just checked - actually three canals pass through the town, the Shropshire Union, Trent and Mersey, and the Wardle - this is one of them) and the barbers shop that I have recorded without comment.
It was the Model T on the roof that attracted me to the Three Corners Garage in Ambrosden south east of Bicester.
It's real Model T parts attached to a purpose built space frame. It's very effective even if it would never run.
Inside the garage is a treasure trove of bits and bobs that I had to record plus photos of the place over the years including when it had a cinema at the back built for troops stationed locally during the war. I am indebted to Dave Labross of Three Corners Garage for permission to use the photos from the garage website rather than the photos of photos I took on the day.
It's real Model T parts attached to a purpose built space frame. It's very effective even if it would never run.
Inside the garage is a treasure trove of bits and bobs that I had to record plus photos of the place over the years including when it had a cinema at the back built for troops stationed locally during the war. I am indebted to Dave Labross of Three Corners Garage for permission to use the photos from the garage website rather than the photos of photos I took on the day.
Edited by DickyC on Sunday 29th November 19:58
Down East Grinstead way the other day, I remembered a garage in Lingfield with glass top pumps. It would have been rude not to go and have a look.
Either the pumps have migrated inside or a shop front has appeared between them and the road. Whichever it was, the pumps are now a display. Reet cosy it looked, too.
Either the pumps have migrated inside or a shop front has appeared between them and the road. Whichever it was, the pumps are now a display. Reet cosy it looked, too.
I can remember how outrageous the Mk3 Cortina looked when it came out. Big and outrageous.
It looks cosy now.
The predictive text on my phone wasn't at all sure about Cortina.
Corticosteroids is my favourite of its suggestions but surely it's not phone's role to introduce me to new words.
It looks cosy now.
The predictive text on my phone wasn't at all sure about Cortina.
Corticosteroids is my favourite of its suggestions but surely it's not phone's role to introduce me to new words.
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