Old Garages

[bigstraight6]

The following Garages were seen today in North Devon, the first is a very traditional looking premises with an old fuel pump prominent in South Street, South Molton....

Just further up the road on the opposite side is another time warp style premises with a garage shop where you can actually purchase car spares, a world away from the corporate multiple's forecourt shops of today that sell tat like solar powered garden lights that don't work

 

The next is a few miles away in North Molton, the pumps are attendant service! and the Duckhams thermometer still works

 

Look at the inviting 'SALES KIOSK' signage, enticing you in to the sheepskin coat clad salesman who will try and tuck you up with an A60 Cambridge on its last legs

 

Inside is this very elegant Lea Francis belonging to the owner, which he declares to be THE very last of the breed

 

[garethj]

Top post!Is it just me that watches 1950s Ealing comedies for stuff like this?

[Mr H Sceptre]

Superb

[Electric Leyland]

The first one .... isn't that Crockett's Garage in Camberwick Green?

[bigstraight6]

This weeks addition to this occasional 'old Garages' thread is this site in the delightful environs of Ottery St. Mary, East Devon. It has it all, a workshop, fuel pumps and showroom! Worthy of 'grade 2' shite listing

 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

There used to be a LeaF like that in a shed just outside Haltwhistle, Northumberland, dunno if its still there though.

[MrRegieRitmo]

a LeaF?

[ChinaTom]

Lea Francis. Bit before your time.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Oh this thing - well I hope it's before most people's time on here!

[seth]

I think I've posted photos fo my MOT place over on R-R before. Its been a garage since before the war and was stables before that. Unfortunately the old boy who owned it died last winter and his son-in-law is selling the site to developers so it'll be flattened soon. The MOT tester has been there since he was 15 in the 60's.

 

 

 

 

 

There's some other old garages around so I'll take my camera next time I'm passing

[seth]

Aha! I knew this thread was out there somewhere. While spotting cars I've also spotted a couple of suitable establishments.

 

This place was still functioning until quite recently but seems to have developed eastern european car wash syndrome.

 

 

I remember this as a showroom but can't remember what make. It was derelict for some years before getting turned into this restaurant. At least the building is still mostly intact.

 

 

Just down the road is this ex Mobil petrol station, still being used as a garage. Again I remember this as it originally was from my childhood. I might have even once bought fuel there when I was 18 or something.

 

[Spottedlaurel]

I drove round Ipswich recently, where I visited regularly then lived from 1989-95, and was shocked at how many old garages I remember have disappeared for housing.Seth, I hope that ex-Austin-Rover one on the North Circular is still going strong? Has he shifted any stock yet?

[seth]

Yeah, that one is still there. Still got nice shiny tat inside What prompted photographing these places was a discovery that really got me quite angry. We live close to Hampstead Garden Suburb which is an area built in the early 20th Century and was intended to provide housing for people of all means. It is now very fashionable as it is very "villagey" and so it out of reach for all but the wealthier types. It is also a conservation area so even minor alterations (like double glazing for instance) are difficult to do. There are some fantastic roads full of the curvy window art deco style house and these tend to be either side of where the A1 runs through. On the A1 there has for a long time been a large petrol station/car dealership that was built in period and had that style of glazing and architecture. I was out for a walk a few weeks ago and discovered it had been levelled to make way for flats I can't imagine that any other building in the area could be treated in that way. Its a really sad loss of a great and sizeable original building that fitted in and to me was an important part of the landscape.

[Ratdat]

That round canopy is awesome. Here's a few old garages from my area. This place is in Alford and is for sale. It will no doubt be bulldozed to make room for housing. A classic showroom frontage...

 

 

 

At the other end of the town is this little place. Again, classic garage architecture and happily still in business. Always seems to be some old tat knocking about too...

 

 

This place is in Woodhall Spa and is now an ice cream parlour but amazingly much of the old garage fittings remain. Check out the huge arm that swings out from the wall with the hose. I might have to register my interest in rescuing one of the pumps should they ever decide to get rid...

 

 

 

There's quite a few more locally including an art deco beauty just round the corner which is currently vacant. I'll snaps some more pics when I'm out and about next.

 

-Ed

[Spottedlaurel]

Great pic's, and good to see you here again Ed!

[MrRegieRitmo]

This place was still functioning until quite recently but seems to have developed eastern european car wash syndrome.

 

Is this in Barnet? If not, then that's the only place where I've personally to my knowledge seen that CYMA brand but the sign is so distinctive & brings back many memories. My nan lived at 12 Hadley Ridge up until 96 and if that building is where I think it is, Hadley Ridge was a turn off from the road running next to it.

 

Hearing you talk about Hampstead Garden Suburb obviously rings true with me too having talked about that on the 1987 storm thread. My mum's sister & my uncle have lived there since the 70s if not earlier.

[Guest]

I agree about the old buildings Seth! It's not quite art deco, but there is a lot of moaning here in Wakefield about 1950/60s "monstrosities". The office where I work currently is apparently one of them and there is a rumour they want to knock it down once the lease expires, presumably to replace it with flats or similar.

 

 

Not my office, but next door and of a very similar design, ours is a darker building of 4 storeys but on stilts with a car park underneath. Looks fairly grim there, but up close it's actually a pretty smart design with nice big windows letting in a lot of light.

 

The main problem with these buildings is the fact that they have not been maintained properly. I quite like the look of some of these square-edged old buildings, they tend to have a lot of glass and actually have some subtle design touches. Quite hard to appreciate that when they're filthy, unpainted and clearly unloved.

 

There's a waterfront development scheme going on at the moment, where developers appear to be hand-picking out any "quaint" building (1800s mills and the like) and refurbishing them, whilst knocking down anything else and putting things like this in their place:

 

Meaning we will end up with a load of random buildings plopped together like so:

[Dead_E23]

A very familiar sight for me - there's a good pub just across the road where I quite often drink on a Saturday night. Unusually for the area, it sells Sharp's Doom Bar.

[seth]

Yep, that's Barnet and I think I've been to that pub E23! I've got a really cool (analogue) shot of my Oxford parked in the abandoned forecourt of another establishment that was about 400 yards up the road, the other end of the green. That was pulled down a few weeks later and is now housing too.Great post Hirst. Agree 102%!

[MrRegieRitmo]

I've got a really cool (analogue) shot of my Oxford parked in the abandoned forecourt of another establishment that was about 400 yards up the road, the other end of the green. That was pulled down a few weeks later and is now housing too.

Was that also a CYMA? What are (were) CYMA, just a very minor petroleum company or tuning company or what?I thought you lived in the Midlands Mr E23, unless I'm thinking of someone else...

[Ratdat]

Great pic's, and good to see you here again Ed!

Yeah still here

 

I forgot to add this one. It's on the A49 south of Whitchurch near a place called Pree's Heath. No longer a petrol station but chock full of old motors, parts and automobilia. A few oldies for sale too and the prices seemed quite decent.

 

 

[Dead_E23]

I thought you lived in the Midlands Mr E23, unless I'm thinking of someone else...

You're not, but I don't! I think my pics of the transporter load of Brazilian VW campers gave you that idea, possibly due to the grimness of the background...

[Spottedlaurel]

The main problem with these buildings is the fact that they have not been maintained properly. I quite like the look of some of these square-edged old buildings, they tend to have a lot of glass and actually have some subtle design touches. Quite hard to appreciate that when they're filthy, unpainted and clearly unloved.

Hirst, you could easily have said this about your Charmant or Galant!

[Guest]

Hey the Charmant was in pretty good condition apart from the arches!And I haven't seen the Galant yet, don't make me worry.....!

[MrRegieRitmo]

I thought you lived in the Midlands Mr E23, unless I'm thinking of someone else...

You're not, but I don't! I think my pics of the transporter load of Brazilian VW campers gave you that idea, possibly due to the grimness of the background...

Possibly.....I wouldn't like to incriminate myself either way! (how do you know I'm not thinking of someone else? )

[MrRegieRitmo]

The main problem with these buildings is the fact that they have not been maintained properly. I quite like the look of some of these square-edged old buildings, they tend to have a lot of glass and actually have some subtle design touches. Quite hard to appreciate that when they're filthy, unpainted and clearly unloved.

Hirst, you could easily have said this about your Charmant or Galant!

[seth]

Great pic's, and good to see you here again Ed!

I forgot to add this one. It's on the A49 south of Whitchurch near a place called Pree's Heath. No longer a petrol station but chock full of old motors, parts and automobilia. A few oldies for sale too and the prices seemed quite decent.

RatDat, that place is amazing!

 

Here's a couple more.

 

 

 

Now a drive through flower shop

 

 

 

[Spottedlaurel]

Seth, the white one at the bottom vaguely rings a bell. When did it go out of use? Somewhere fairly central?

 

Some I’ve already posted in my Spotting thread:

 

 

 

Glad I took this picture. The site is up for redevelopment, complete with the 30’s bungalows around it. I know this because we appear to be doing some drawings for the scheme (oh the shame). Perhaps I should sneak in some alterations which result in this being left…

 

 

 

The place I saw on holiday in Herefordshire, I read in a magazine that they still sell petrol.

 

 

Good that it’s still in use.

[seth]

Seth, the white one at the bottom vaguely rings a bell. When did it go out of use? Somewhere fairly central?

Its in Bloomsbury, close to Russel Square station. Not sure when it was last in use as originally desinbged but I reckon it was refurbed within 5 or so years (and more than 2 1/2 years ago when I first came across it) as it's so clean still.

[Mash]

Awesome Art Deco palace!

 

 

I think it was used in an episode of Poirot selling a made-up Italian sports car make. Certainly similar anyway.