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Wood Lane garage - 1964
Advertisement from 1964.
The Wood Lane garage was situated on the corner of Wood Lane and Leicester Road, ie on the left as you look up Wood Lane from Leicester Road. It was owned by Mr Staines and consisted of a wooden building with a petrol pump outside. The garage was taken over by John Mellor Cars in about 1969 and continued to trade there until the 1980s.
Mr Staines lived in Speche House on Leicester Road. This was just behind the bus stop near Wood Lane. Both the garage & the house were owned by the County Council as this land was earmarked for the original Quorn by pass. Both of the properties were later demolished. Four houses were built on the garage site and two bungalows on the site of Speche House.
This lovely story has been provided by Tony Merrick:
"I do remember Wood Lane Garage. In 1957 I was travelling to Loughborough College every day from Leicester. I was 18 years old and starting a 4 year course of Automobile Engineering. I stopped at the garage for fuel one day, and noticed they had a Vauxhall truck from 1923. They said it was to be scrapped, but if I paid them £17.00, I could take it away. As I was interested in early cars, I bought it. They had had it since 1929, and had used it as their breakdown truck. They had taken the rear half of the body away, and put a truck body in its place, with a small crane. So, I set about restoring it. Under the front seat, I found the original Registration Book from 1923, which showed that the first owner was a Mr E Ward, from Leicester. He was the Managing Director of Freeman Hardy & Willis. I called them to find that he had retired, but that his son was now the MD. He said his father was still alive, and his mother too, and they would be interested. I called him, and he found 3 photographs with the family on holiday in Cornwall, showing the car as it was new. This gave me the information I needed to remake the rear bodywork. During this time I was introduced to a man who was a chauffeur. He was the very man who drove the car for Mr Ward. Eventually I finished the restoration, and arranged to take the car to the Wards one Sunday morning. I took with me the Chauffeur who had not seen his boss for over 30 years, and when we arrived at the drive up to the house, I let him drive it up the drive as he had done all those years previously. The rest of the morning was quite emotional.
I did some journeys in it, but the high light was my sister being taken to the church on her wedding day, and the Leicester Mail writing an article about it all.
Then, motor racing came into my life, and the car was sold to Holland in 1962. Last year, we found the car again, in a small collection of Vauxhalls near to Utrecht, and last Tuesday we went to see it. Looking splendid and having been restored again, it has landed with some very nice people, and I am so glad I saved it.
I wonder if there is any of Mr Staines family who might have any pictures of the car at Wood Lane garage?"
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Missing information: |
Do you recall this business?
Please email us at:
team2024@quornmuseum.com |
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Submitted on: |
2011-05-26 |
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Submitted by: |
Kathryn Paterson, with thanks to Sue Sharpe,Mike Speight and Tony Merrick for additional information. |
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Artefact ID: |
1282 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=1282 |
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Print: |
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