The Humer Unbeam Interesting Filling Stations Thread

[P5BNij]

DickyC said:

P5BNij said:

Wonderful find Dicky, many thanks for sharing those... I've driven past the place hundreds of times but never stopped for a shuftie, I think I will next time I'm passing. I notice there are no screen prices on the showroom cars, those Minis look interesting...

Thanks, P5. I wonder if 'Private Collection' might be a more accurate description.

Gives me an excuse to pop in and ask I suppose...

[DickyC]

West End Garage, Salcombe, Devon. I stopped to take the picture and went in to ask if they had any photos of the garage from the old days.

"We've got one. It's over the fireplace at home. We could take a photo of it and email it to you." And they did!



The Mayflower Garage, as it was then, in 1971.

Thanks to everyone I spoke to at West End Garage.

[Bonefish Blues]

Almost no change at all!

[DickyC]

The arrival of the canopy was the thing that sprang to mind when I pressed them.

[Bonefish Blues]

And the bed out front, but that's about it

[DickyC]

The buildings on the left have been home to a couple of different businesses since I've known the garage but are currently To Let.

[lowdrag]

I was trawling my photos and came across this one I took in 2014

IMG_0386 by Tony Brown, on Flickr

[Torcars]

Dicky, you need to write more of these. Great stuff.

The idea of a book above could be great with writing like that.

[DickyC]

Torcars said:

Dicky, you need to write more of these. Great stuff.

The idea of a book above could be great with writing like that.

Thanks, Torcars! My hopes of being a motoring journalist were dashed years ago when I realised I couldn't write readable copy fast enough. With a book that wouldn't be so much of a problem. My lads bought me a lovely coffee table book about deserted race tracks so there could well be a market for a compendium of old garages. Hmmm. I wonder.

[grumbledoak]

DickyC said:

Thanks, Torcars! My hopes of being a motoring journalist were dashed years ago when I realised I couldn't write readable copy fast enough. With a book that wouldn't be so much of a problem. My lads bought me a lovely coffee table book about deserted race tracks so there could well be a market for a compendium of old garages. Hmmm. I wonder.

JFDI

[DickyC]

Driving home to Newbury from Evesham yesterday I saw Troopers Lodge garage in Bourton on the Hill near Morton in Marsh and had to stop. It had the hallmarks of a long established garage but would test my theory about Art Deco.



According to their website the garage was established in 1964 by Jim Such in an old pig shed. Art Deco? It's okay, I've been wrong before.

I was made really welcome by Andrea in reception and manager James. Once identified as a bone fide enthusiast I was shown the yard.











That's a six litre, single cylinder, diesel. Can everyone hear a "Donk Donk Donk" noise in their heads or is that just me?





My instincts were right about it having been a filling station though. Andrea kindly emailed me these last evening:





One of the pump globes reminded me of Discol which I think was a petrol/alcohol blend.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/trooperslodgegarage/ab...

[Escort3500]

It’s great that traditional garages like this survive in an age of plug-in diagnostics and ‘technicians’, or where the owner sells up and another characterless housing development springs up in its place.

Their website is great too.

[M1C]

This is great stuff Dicky, thank you.

[daveenty]

DickyC said:

That's a six litre, single cylinder, diesel. Can everyone hear a "Donk Donk Donk" noise in their heads or is that just me?

A Field Marshall I believe. Usually in a dark green and given decent reviews on the quirky little TV programme "Shed & Buried"

[JakeT]

Having seen this for so long I realised I've never said anything about the one in my village. No proper old pictures of it sadly, but it was always owned by an old chap called Edgar. Did repairs and sold fuel basically. MOTs came about in 2000. He sold fuel until about 2002/3. The pumps still said 4Star on them even when unleaded was introduced. As seen in the below images you can see where the pumps were, and the workshop at the back. Then it was bought by a local chap and fully re-vamped. Excellent workshops and he employs an excellent mechanic, who has an excellent blend of model knowledge and old school mechanics too. The ownwer, as a former F1 engineer even has a nice thing on display in there too.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simtek_S951

[Chromegrill]

It's a bit off the beaten track for holiday makers but I worked in Isiro, a town in the middle of a jungle in the Democratic Republic of Congo some while ago. The local filling station was a Fina:



Its fuel selling days were long since over though they seemed to offer laundry services and ran a small restaurant in the house:



Round the corner a Landrover sign was hanging from a lamppost but there was nothing to suggest any Landrovers had been there any time in the previous couple of decades.

In one of the engine sheds at the railway station I came across an old Mini to, though I'd love to know how it ended up on its roof:



Further along I passed the local Chrysler dealership:




Sad to see a once great city decaying back into the jungle.

[miniman]

DickyC said:

Thanks, Torcars! My hopes of being a motoring journalist were dashed years ago when I realised I couldn't write readable copy fast enough. With a book that wouldn't be so much of a problem. My lads bought me a lovely coffee table book about deserted race tracks so there could well be a market for a compendium of old garages. Hmmm. I wonder.

This is a great idea. You should talk to these people:

https://www.hoxtonminipress.com

[Tommo13]

This is local to me on Alder Lane the A5209 just down from the top of Parbold Hill, apologies if anyone has posted previously. I don't use it very often and every time I call in I wonder if it will still be open. Seems to keep going and long may it continue

[penrhos]

Seen just off the South Circular only last year, amazingly.

[penrhos]

And another favourite of mine, deep in the wilderness between Brecon and Llandovery

https://goo.gl/maps/wYgdu82p8nT2

I think the A41 must be up there for having the greatest number of rural petrol stations, nearly all gone since the 1990s. I filled up at this one once. Suppose I could still fill up the bird feeder here:

https://goo.gl/maps/TiUASm8uXUH2

Some are still hanging on sans petrol (see here for an earlier incarnation)

https://goo.gl/maps/vEViHiJwpsn

This last one was (IIRC) a Jet station with the remnants of an even older station, complete with old pumps, mouldering next to it.

https://goo.gl/maps/BqqtBNrAos12

Edited by penrhos on Saturday 27th January 11:27

Edited by penrhos on Saturday 27th January 11:31