Males Garages Ltd
males garages ltd
From small beginnings in Hendford Grove
by Roger Froude
Males Garages Ltd started life in a car showroom / garage in Hendford Grove at least as early as 1919 (see advertisement below). In the 1950s and 1960s Males Garages was a Vauxhall / Bedford and Rover / Land Rover dealership. In 1959 the owners were TB Lock & Sons, seed merchants of Hendford - the sons were Graham and Norman Lock. In the 1970s TB Lock & Sons became Finney-Locks and moved to new premises at the end of Preston Road (the site is now Asda supermarket). TB Lock & Sons also had a florist shop in Hendford next to the Three Chough Hotel - the florist shop closed in the 1960s and became part of Denner's store.
Courtesy of Rob
Baker
SW Male's advertisement in the 19 December 1919 edition of the Western Gazette.
Courtesy of Rob
Baker
.... and advertising their presence at the 1926 Motor Show at Olympia, London, in the Western Gazette's edition of 22 October 1926.
Although Hendford Grove was the main site, there was a commercial workshop in Dampier Street and the paint shop was housed in a disused leather factory building in Addlewell Lane. The Dampier Street commercial workshop was a dome-shaped corrugated iron building, similar to the Nissen huts extensively used during the war. It housed one commercial ramp, two commercial mechanics, Doug Greedy and Reg Dunn, plus Dave Nicholas a third year apprentice. Two panel beaters, Gordon, “Chippy” Patton, who was also the Foreman, and George Humphries. In addition Wilf Sergeant reconditioned engines and water pumps as well as looking after the old vintage 1907 Rover which was kept on display in the main showroom at Hendford Grove.
Courtesy of Rob
Baker
From the Western Gazette's edition of 20 May 1932 advertising Male's garage's presence at the Bath & West Show.
A 31 January 1932 receipt for a first car service. Wouldn't you just love to have a garage bill of just nine pence!
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
The original site of Males Garages Ltd in Hendford Grove, probably photographed in the early 1950s. At left the showroom, as seen in the following photograph, has been converted to residential properties while the garage, at right, was demolished and a house built on the site.
.... and seen from the air in this photograph of 1953.
In 1960 the Males Garages Ltd staff were -
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The Dampier Street staff were -
- Gordon 'Chippy' Patten (Foremen / Panel Beater}
- George Humpries (Panel Beater)
- Wilf Sargent (Engineer)
- Doug Greedy (Mechanic)
- Reg Dunn (Mechanic)
- Dave Nicholas (Apprentice)
The former Males Garages Ltd showrooms and garage site in Hendford Grove was sold and became a second hand furniture outlet. Ultimately the premises were purchased by a developer and turned into apartments.
A 1964 advertisement for Males Garages Ltd of Hendford Grove.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
A 1951 visit to the Dagenite Battery factory for staff and customers of Males Garages Ltd.
In 1959 the
management was
in negotiation
to purchase the
disused
Parker, Brooks
and Long Ltd
glove factory at
the bottom of
Addlewell Lane,
to relocate the
workshop and
parts department
from Hendford
Grove and
combine the
commercial
workshop and
body shop from
Dampier Street.
This would allow
expansion of the
sales department
at Hendford
Grove.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
David Hunt (General Manager, Males Garages Ltd) and an Estate Agent viewing the old Parker, Brooks and Long Ltd glove factory (not the big one at top left, the little one at centre right) which was to become the new Addlewell Lane premises for Males' workshop.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
The Parker, Brooks & Long factory at the Addlewell Lane end of Coronation Buildings, photographed at the same time as the previous photograph. In the background is the terrace of housing known as Victoria Buildings.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
The yard of Parker, Brooks & Long. At left is the glove factory (the former Coronation Buildings) and at top right is Victoria Bridge over the railway. At top right is the rear of the Clothier, Giles & Co's factory.
A 1960's photograph taken from Park Street (at left) with Addlewell Lane (at centre) with the sign of Males Garages Ltd on the Addlewell Lane dog-leg.
The Addlewell Lane workshop was built by local builders Montacute & Riggs. Due to the area being the lowest part of the town, substantial piling had to be carried out and piles were sunk into the ground to a depth of sixty feet (18.4 metres). Before the foundations were laid, two Series 1 Land Rover chassis and various other bits of scrap were dumped in the hole!
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
A colourised 1966 photograph of all the Arundel’s ice cream vans outside the front of the new Addlewell Lane workshop of Males Garages Ltd.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
The 'Lube Bay' at Addlewell Lane, photographed in 1966, with Reg Pippard and Ginger servicing a Vauxhall FC. The lubrication bay was demolished in 1998.
During late 1966 Males Garages purchased the Vauxhall dealership Allan's of Bridge Street, Taunton, and two years later moved to new premises in Staplegrove Road. Unfortunately Taunton had another very strong Vauxhall Dealership, Arthur Martin's Autoramma in East Reach Taunton, with a large service department in South Street, Taunton. (Autoramma is now Rowcliffe's Vauxhall Dealership). Taunton could not support two Vauxhall dealerships and Allan's closed.
In early 1970 Males Garages sold out to Unigate PLC who brought it into their Transport / Garage Division, Wincanton. The Hendford Grove site became Wincanton International, a BMW dealership and Addlewell Lane became Wincanton Garages (Yeovil) Ltd., a Vauxhall / Bedford dealership. Along with the acquisition of the Addlewell Lane site Unigate acquired the land at the rear of the workshop and the land between the workshop and Addlewell Lane which allowed them to build a new showroom block with offices above for the head office of Unigate South Western Region. This allowed the reconfigured of the service / parts department giving a new customer car park and reception area with offices as well as a new entrance from Addlewell Lane into the site. Two fuel pumps for the dealerships own use and a staff car park was acquired at what is now the rear of the workshop.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
The new showroom and office block with the reconfigured service department behind.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
The front of the service department.
In 1980 further development took place with the acquisition of the old Clothier & Giles glove factory to provide a new body shop, paint shop and a new larger parts department. The removal of the old Victoria railway bridge created additional parking space for the body shop and the valeting area.
The alterations were carried out by Bayford Builders of Wincanton who were part of the Unigate Group. The alterations consisted of a new parts department with an entrance from the end of Addlewell Lane and a body shop and paint shop with two paint ovens below the parts department and an entrance and parking at the bottom of Addlewell Lane behind the workshop. At the same time the stream which ran between the workshop and rear of the showroom block (originally an off-shoot of Dodham Brook that fed Clothier & Giles for use in leather dressing) was piped and covered over.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
A view of the site from the hillside, before the construction of the ski slope.
In 1983 the
WJ & EG Ricketts
& Co glove
factory in
Addlewell Lane,
next to the
dealership, was
demolished for
the Central
Acres apartments
to be built.
This opened up
more land and
Wincanton
Garages (Yeovil)
Ltd acquired
land at the
corner of
Summerhouse
Terrace and
used it as a
used car sales
site.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
A view of Wincanton Garages (Yeovil) Ltd taken during the construction of the Yeovil Ski Slope showing the new parts and body shop (ex Clothier & Giles) with Central Acres at centre right. In the right bottom corner is seen part of the used car sales site.
The dealership at this time also had a name change because Unigate PLC acquired the Arlington Motor Group, which had numerous dealerships, mainly in London and the Home Counties. Because Arlington was a larger organisation than the Wincanton Group, Wincanton Garages (Yeovil) Ltd. became Arlington Motors (Yeovil) Ltd.
In 1987 Park Street was re-routed with the demolition of Belmont Street and widening of Mill Lane which opened up Summerhouse Terrace. In the early 1990s Unigate consolidated their transport business; they had recently sold Wincanton Garages for development and the Lex Motor Group took over the Vauxhall dealership at Addlewell Lane. With this takeover a new showroom, offices and a Jet filling station were built at the end of Summerhouse Terrace as well as an extension to the workshops in order to accommodate the parts department. The parts department and the body shop in the old Clothier & Giles glove factory was sold off and became Ash Honda. Also, the original sales department and office block was sold and became AKS Renault, with the offices above the showroom used by Yeovil College.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
A 1991 aerial view showing AKS Renault and Ash Honda with the new re-routed Park Street.
The Lex Motor
Group investment
into the
business was
limited and by
1997 the
business had
been allowed to
run down. Morale
was low as a
number of staff
had been made
redundant and
eventually the
Lex Motor Group
put the business
up for sale.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
Technicians awaiting new owners.
Simon Teakle, an accountant who worked previously for Wincanton Garages (Yeovil) Ltd., purchased the Vauxhall dealership in a part-share agreement with Vauxhall Motors. The new owner had an urgent recovery program to implement and, partly in order to achieve this, the name was changed to Summer's of Yeovil. He also head-hunted and employed Sales Department and Service Department Managers who had previously worked for the successful Wincanton Garages (Yeovil) Ltd.
Over the next couple of years the business grew but the old large workshop and parts department was too big for the modern business. Other problems included expensive overheads and a split site away from the showroom and head office. Additionally, fuel sales from the forecourt was unprofitable due to competition from supermarkets. The decision was made to sell the workshop and parts department site to finance an extension of a workshop, fast service bays and a parts department to the showroom and office block, which included closing the filling station.
Courtesy of
Roger Froude
Some of the service department staff of Summer's of Yeovil including Simon Teakle (Owner) at far left and Roger Froude (Service Manager) at far right.
Although the Managing Director had accounting experience, he had no experience of managing a large dealership and the business did not grow as Vauxhall Motors required. As a consequence the business was sold to Rowcliffes, the Vauxhall dealership in Taunton - becoming Rowcliffes Yeovil, as it remains today. The old workshop and parts department became the Gateway Yeovil Community Church.
The following photographs are courtesy of Colin Adams, the first manager of the Wincanton Garages (Yeovil) Ltd's forecourt and the first three photographs were taken on the first day of opening on 21 April 1988.
Courtesy of
Colin Adams
The Wincanton Garages' petrol station and used car centre on it`s opening day taken from the Stars Lane car park opposite. Note the ski slope in use in the background.
Courtesy of
Colin Adams
A slightly different view of the petrol station, again on it`s opening day.
Courtesy of
Colin Adams
Taken from a photograph in the Western Gazette, the 1988 opening ceremony of the new petrol forecourt showing (left to right) Tony Hughes, company director of Wincanton Garages (Yeovil) Ltd, Mayor Bridget Dollard and Colin Adams, forecourt manager.
Courtesy of
Colin Adams
This was taken a few weeks later than pictures 1 and 2, and shows the first delivery of unleaded fuel to the new forecourt. Unleaded was very rare in those days due to the relatively high tax placed on it and that fact that most cars did not have hardened valves to allow for the higher burn temperature of the fuel. The tanker shown was exclusively unleaded, to ensure there was no cross contamination with leaded fuel, the tanker delivered to a number of garages dropping 5000 litres at each rather than an exclusive delivery to each forecourt.
Courtesy of
Colin Adams
This photograph shows the tanker driver showing the dry dip after the fuel has been dropped into the forecourt underground tank.
Courtesy of
Colin Adams
Lifting and dropping the delivery pipe before disconnection the pipe from the tanker to ensure the pipe is empty of fuel.
