The back street garages of the Bay [pic heavy]

[egg]

A Sunday morning treat* for you all, I was up early for a tip run, so I thought I take some photos I've planned for a while.

 

Herne Bay is changing, and becoming a little bit posher*.  I noticed the other day that one of the local back street car places had become a trendy gardening shop.  Felt it was time to act and get these places documented!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vantman]

A good subject,most of those places were customers of mine about 8 years ago when I was a waste oil collector,i will search my memory and try and remember a few more. The last time I was down that way I noticed that Express Garage the well known Skoda place was closed.

[egg]

Yes Express garage went a year or two ago. 

 

There's a few more on Sea street that are behind locked gates at the weekend that are worth capturing too.

 

There's also Jackson's in Herne and others up the Canterbury Road (near Wildwood wildlife centre)

[Joey spud]

I dropped a Merc C220 at York rd Garage a few days back..

 

It had finally totally blown no1 injector seal and was now chuffing,missing and trying to set itself on fire.

 

I don't think they wanted the job,can't blame them to be honest.

 

Hernia Bay does seem to be on the up though.

[Vantman]

I used to live in Herne and remember Jacksons well as he used to let me park my tanker there before I moved it to Wildwood. There used to be a small breakers yard in York road as well.

[Cavcraft]

Great thread. My dream is to own a garage like Chapel Autos or Packer's.

[bigstraight6]

Great stuff, places like these are on the decline which is a great shame......

[egg]

I know a few of them are run by people in their 50's and 60's (Chapel, Broadway) - and I can see once they retire (if they can afford to!) these places will get the gentrification treatment.

 

Chapel is one street away from the front so is bound to go residential.

[Joey spud]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x47d8ce9f6fe99925:0xd0263f9dfe0d3756!2m19!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m13!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!3m1!7e115!4shttps://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname%3D105329974024715387737%26id%3D6110440786166715218%26target%3DPHOTO!5sautoshoppe+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e3!2s-Wv4ZPdHC8KU/VMylhUCGk1I/AAAAAAAAAAg/v8kaddo6xzkwh-5GllYhT6MiIia6lkRQgCJkC&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGnanCxrXUAhXEORQKHVnCCEMQoioIggEwCg

 

This is my old garage that i first ran then owned outright from 1990 to 2001.

It was originally built back in the 1920's but stopped selling fuel in the 90's not long after the owner had spent a small fortune rebuilding its large house and tin roofed workshop.

 

I still pop in from time to time but they are nowhere near as busy as it once was

[Ben_O]

Cool thread.

 

My girlfriend used to live in Herne bay right on the front (st georges terrace) so I know all these places well.

 

I too will try and think of more.

 

Ben

[egg]

Whitstable also used to have a lot of places like this, I don't go there enough to know if they are still there

[Ben_O]

Is that little garage still going by the rising sun pub in Reculver?Used to pass that on the way to the cliff

[John F]

I used to live in Whitstable back in the 1990s... a quick look on Google StreetView suggests that it hasn't changed much.

 

I remember Herne Bay Motorcycles too, good to see that it's still going

[59Impala]

Chapel Autos is owned by a friend of mine who is now in his 70's bless him. I used him a lot when I lived in Margate as he's a top bloke.Sadly a couple of years ago he pranged his 1961 Impala into the building just along from the garage when he became ill behind the wheel. He was pretty badly hurt but has made a good recovery but he has slowed down a bit. The Impala was very badly damaged which was sad as I owned from 1984-89, one of the two cars that I wish I had never sold. A parts car was sourced and hopefully my old Impala will get back on the road.

[egg]

I heard that story about the guy from Chapel, I'm glad to hear he's back at work. Would he enjoy taking a look over my Skoda Favorit!? 

 

I have a good guy I rely on locally, but he does sometimes get tied up with changing engines on Merc Sprinters, so doesn't always appreciate my smaller jobs...

[59Impala]

Mi

 

I heard that story about the guy from Chapel, I'm glad to hear he's back at work. Would he enjoy taking a look over my Skoda Favorit!? 

 

I have a good guy I rely on locally, but he does sometimes get tied up with changing engines on Merc Sprinters, so doesn't always appreciate my smaller jobs...

Stick your head in, Mick is his name and he's very friendly. I haven't spoken to him for a fair while so I don't know if he's there every day or if he just does the odd day. It may be that the bays are full of old Impalas and he doesn't do much on other cars. 

[skoda_fan]

Very interesting thread. I didn't know Express Garage had gone. My first Rapid Sport came from there.

[mercrocker]

Got me thinking, this has......My area is almost bereft of places that catered for older cars but there are still one or two around town including about 100 yards from where I am sitting now.   Need to get these photographed I reckon.

[Shep Shepherd]

Does anyone remember a 2CV specialist in Herne Bay called C Side CVs? I drove past it when I took my driving test in the town in September 1995.

[Shep Shepherd]

A good subject,most of those places were customers of mine about 8 years ago when I was a waste oil collector,i will search my memory and try and remember a few more. The last time I was down that way I noticed that Express Garage the well known Skoda place was closed.

 

I had an idea that you worked for J. Vant going by you username. My company sometimes employs them to remove waste oil

[FakeConcern]

I was born in Canterbury and lived in Herne Bay from 1959 until 1971. My Grandfather owned several houses there. I cycled from my school at lunch time to see the pier burning in 1970?

 

I love this sort of documentation, thanks.

[egg]

Does anyone remember a 2CV specialist in Herne Bay called C Side CVs? I drove past it when I took my driving test in the town in September 1995.

 

I have a vague memory, but can't place it.  We do now have a vinyl record shop called 'b side the c side' (groan)

[Vantman]

I had an idea that you worked for J. Vant going by you username. My company sometimes employs them to remove waste oil

 

That's me!   I owned J.Vant for 16 years and sold it in 2010 and it's still going strong.

[egg]

Well Sam's Spares has gone this week, had been there since 1985. That's sad. 

 

The tyre place will be going in the next year or so (first pic in this thread) for flats. Although the business is continuing elsewhere.

 

The Mazda is booked in for a MOT at Broadway Garage on Tuesday.

 

[mercrocker]

Liked for the great pic and thread, not for the shutting down bit.

[lesapandre]

These photos already feel historic. Deptford in London has lost two car spares shops, our car scrapyard and at least two taxi repair places and at least one small repair garage and a big petrol station in last few years. Daft 24/7 residents only parking bays - half-empty most of the day are putting others at risk...in the meantime council people run round on scooters doling out fines.

[egg]

Indeed. And the pace will accelerate if the predicted future arrives in next 20 years - the rented shared ownership electric self-driving pod!

[DSdriver]

Deptford, ah what an interesting place. Many years ago I had reason to visit a breakers there near the railway. I couldn't find anybody about so wandered into the workshop in an arch under the railway. As I walked into the gloom I heard a chain rattling behind me and turned to look. It was only a bloody lion on a chain. Fortunately a human turned up about the same time and said "its alright he's tame".

[Sudsprint]

Like everyone else in this neck of the woods I took my driving test in Herne Bay (1980) and go back there from time to time.  Your photos capture it perfectly.

 

Excellent thread.

 

Wish I had photographed the Alfa /Lotus dealers (Motorway Sportscars) in Boughton and lots of other places like it. 

[Joey spud]

 

This is my old garage back in the 1920's.

Anyone know what the cars are ??

 

 

And this was circa 1972.