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MG TD TF 1500 - UK Sleuths Needed

I had to rebuild this thread as the database got full right during an edit and it was wiped out. Luckily I saved my edits.

Chris Malcolm has been helping me assemble a list of MG Dealers in England during the early 1950's. I will be posting these to the European Dealers and Importers page soon (other locations in the world are coming so get ready to help).

He's done a great job but with the materials he has (mostly old magazines and adverts) he has run into holes. We are missing addresses for many and also we need the lat/long from Google Maps once we get an address.

We also would like additional addresses if anyone has some form of proof (ie an old advert) we can use to document a dealer.

Here is the list with the missing addresses. (top one is a sample). If you can plug a hole or two that would be appreciated. It just may be spending some quality time with Google that both Chris and I have run out of. Crowdsourcing anyone?

Dealer Name address location google maps
Jones Bros. Ltd. Pwllheli, Wales 52.889556, -4.417595
Loxhams Morriservice Ltd. Preston
Loxhams Morriservice Ltd. Blackburn
Loxhams Morriservice Ltd. Lancaster
Wales & Edward Ltd. Shrewsbury
Dickson & Adams Luton
Crips Bros. Sidcup
Wadham Bros. Ltd. Southsea
Wadham Bros. Ltd. Southampton
Wadham Bros. Ltd. Chichester
Wadham Bros. Ltd. Waterlooville
Wadham Bros. Ltd. Isle of Wight
H.T.P. Motors Truro
Micklegate Motor Co. Ltd. York
Hewens' Garage Ltd. Maidenhead
Hewens' Garage Ltd. Reading
Hewens' Garage Ltd. Windsor
D. Kitchen Ltd. (Atlas Garage) Colne, Lancashire
The Parkside Garage Ltd. Coventry
The Parkside Garage Ltd. Nuneaton
The Parkside Garage Ltd. Rugby
James Fryer Ltd (Green Dragon Garage) Hereford
James Fryer Ltd (Green Dragon Garage) Leominster

This is the list we do have although some are missing street numbers.

Any help is appreciated.

Paragon Boothferry Road Hull
Beart's of kingston 102 London Rd. Kingston-on-Thames
Colmore Depot Ltd. 138 Nottingham Rd. Loughborough
Colmore Depot Ltd. 178 Belgrave Gate Leicester
Brigden & Company 187 Western Road Brighton
Colmore Depot Ltd. 200 Deansgate Manchester
Doves (Darlington) Ltd. 24 – 26 Bondgate Darlington
Toulmin Motors 343 Staines Rd Hunslow
H.A. Hamshaw Ltd. 37 Humberstone Gate Leicester
Knott Bros. 382 Charminster Rd. Bournmouth
Joseph Cockshoot & Co. Ltd. 6 St. Ann's Square Manchester
John Pepper 60 Piccadilly, Hanley Hill Hanley
John Bryant & Sons Ltd. 7 Stephenson St. Birmingham
Wellsteed's County Garages Ltd. 70 Commercial Street Newport
Colmore Depot Ltd. 77-85 Station St. Birmingham
B. Waterhouse & Sons Ltd. 80 Manningham Lane Bradford
City Motor Co. (Cardiff) Ltd. 99-101 City Rd. Cardiff
Paragon Anlaby Rd. Hull
W. Watson & Co. Bold Street Liverpool
Premier Garage Bolton St., South Shore Blackpool
Graham & Roberts Ltd. Botchergate Carlisle
Reed's Garage Ltd. Broadway Peterborough
Paragon Doncaster Road Scu*thorpe
J. Blake & Co. Ltd. Foregate Street Chester
Brown & Mallalieu Ltd. General Street Blackpool
Moss's Agencies Ltd. High St. Lemmington Spa
John Bryant & Sons Ltd. High Street Bromsgrove
Paragon New York Road Leeds
Paragon North Street Wetherby
W. Mumford Ltd. Old Town Street Plymouth
H.A. Hamshaw Ltd. Parker Drive Leicester
Paragon Prospect Street Bridlington
Triangle Garage Ltd. Queen's Rd. Bristol
Paragon Rawcliffe Street Goole
Simpson's Ltd. Rawlinson St. Barrow-in-Furness
Colmore Depot Ltd. Roebuck Lane West Bromich
Country Garages St Thomas Street Scarborough
University Motors Stratton House, 80 Piccadilly London
The Bedford Garage Summerland St. Exeter
Hallens Union Lane Cambridge
George Ace Ltd. Warren Street Tenby
G. Mackay & Sons Ltd. West Park Harrowgate

Christopher Couper

Do these help:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpsmithbarney/10792346473/?rb=1

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpsmithbarney/5180172853/

Ian Bowers

Loxhams Garage
2,Simmons Street
Sudel Cross
Blackburn
Lancashire


Loxhams Garage
Corporation Street
Fishergate
Preston
Lancashire

I remember the Blackburn branch well - went to school in the early 60s close by and used to look at the cars in the window on my way home. I can still picture the wooden floor in the showroom. I walked past the site about a year ago whilst visiting my mother and I think there is an office supplies firm there now.

Do you want any details for Scottish dealers? If so let me know


Jan T
J Targosz

Brigden & Company, 187 Western Road, Brighton.
(Closed in 1953)
Lew Palmer

Thanks all. Keep them coming.

Jan: I will take any and all UK oriented dealers including Wales, Ireland, Scotland and even the Outer Hebrides.
Christopher Couper

Here is a photo from the early 20th century of Bridgen & Company at 187 Western Road, Brighton.

Lew Palmer

Hi Chris,

I will go to the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and look at newspapers from the 50s and 60s. They will have advertisements for garages selling MGs. I visit the Mitchell often to look at old car magazines. Being a former owner of a 1932 OHC MG I was especially interested in Practical Motorist magazines from the 50s where they showed how to fit a Ford 10 engine into a MG J2! It could be a few weeks though before I can respond since I am taking a holiday and then making my annual pilgrimage to the MG Silverstone weekend - is anyone from "across the pond" attending?


Cheers Jan T
J Targosz

I hope no one minds a "bump" on this. Now that we are safely out of the bank holiday weekend there may be a few in the UK who missed Chris Coupers' original post. Really could use some help on this. Regards. .... Chris
Chris Malcolm (TD29228)

You will like this one if you read it right through!

http://archive.motorsportmagazine.com/article/december-1977/36/f6b29fab-654d-4f38-ae83-cec8f0a04c5c/looking-back-with-mrhwbutcher
Ian Bowers

The Parkside Garage Ltd. Warwick Road, Coventry
_____________

D. Kitchen Ltd. (Atlas Garage) Skipton Road, Colne, Lancashire

_______________
Wales & Edwards(sp) Ltd. 28, 29, 30 Wylie Cop, Shrewsbury

see: http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?
uid=1254993
Ian Bowers

Nice, Ian, thanks!
Chris Malcolm (TD29228)

Chris,

I will check library records in Chester for details of J Blake & Co Ltd, which might take a little time. Blakes were mainly Ford dealers but I believe that for a while they also traded British Motor Corporation cars as well (including MG). Here is a bit of information from the archives of the company:

Administrative history
In 1871, Joseph Blake opened a carriage building firm in Liverpool, called 'J. Blake and Company. Logically, as motor vehicles developed, the company became involved with both using and selling this new form and transport.
In 1896, the year that the motorist was allowed to drive on the road with a man carrying a red flag preceding him, James Graham Reece took over from Joseph Blake, his father-in-law.
In 1910, J. Blake & Co. Ltd. became Merseyside's first Ford dealer. From 1908 to 1920 Blakes was in charge of the transporting of Royal Mail in and around the Liverpool area.
In the late forties, James Graham Reece was succeeded by his son, Stanley Blake Reece, and between them they opened up showrooms and workshops in Liverpool, Manchester, Birkenhead and Chester. They were distributors for several leading manufacturers, including Ford.
They also wholly owned a subsidiary company, the Albany Garages Ltd., which became Albany Lease Ltd.
The firm went into liquidation in 1998.

Cheers,
Neil (Chester UK)
N D Wallace

Wadham Bros are now Wadham Stringer.

See www.regent8.co.uk/fareham%20memories.htm

Toulmin Motors are now Moto-Build.

See www.moto-build.com
B T Jones

BT: I could not make sense out of either reference. The Wadham Bros did not have a listing in Fareham that I can put it against and I don't see the connection to Toulmin since moto-build has only been around for 27 years. Plus I have a address for Toulmin.

What am I missing?
Christopher Couper

Chris,

J Blake & Co Ltd were at 46 Foregate Street, Chester - we think. Their garage was accessed through a narrow approach next to 48 Foregate Street, which was a well known nightclub at the time.

Hope this helps your research.

Neil.
N D Wallace

Neil: Sounds like there is a story there :-)
Christopher Couper

We have gotten as close as we probably can at this point so I posted the summary of all of our work on the European Dealer page.

http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_european.htm

If you find any holes or additions please send me the addresses you find. For those that don't have addresses I just used the city center for the location.

Looking forward to posting any addition dealers from the 50's in the UK that you can identify. Other countries will be on the list over time. If anyone wants to volunteer to spearhead a country, send me an email.
Christopher Couper

This thread was discussed between 24/05/2014 and 04/06/2014

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