Car Dealers, Garages, Petrol Stations

The garage on the Binley Road, Coventry, was definitely Morton's, later to become Morton's BRS - British Road Services, who had service areas for both cars and commercial, namely Commer TS3s. The lorry side of it was eventually moved to Rowley Road, Baginton. The managing director was Geoff Moseley and his son Steve was an apprentice and my best mate until his sad early demise. Service manager was Wes Price and car sales manager was Tom Price. Happy days spent there as young man.

Some great finds turning up on FB currently - Bridge Clock Motors on Holyhead Road - where the BMW garage is now. I remember looking down on this from the No 23 as it was there until the late 70's/early 80's. Did they use up part of the Carbodies factory as I always thought the roof structure was unusual for a petrol station. Photo dated June 1967.

The cheapest petrol in town

. . . and looking the other way. I'd been looking for images of that place for a while.

Great find, Neil What a range of fuels to choose from And tyres slashed! - well, the prices anyway £1 off today wouldn't be noticed!

One more for you Cliff - thanks to Gray Forster on the Cov Kid FB page for finding these online. I think they were part of a Cov Telegraph collection -

. . . plus Green Shield Stamps

I work in Salt Lane and I've been watching the work starting on the office block on the corner of Greyfriars Lane to add levels and convert it to student housing (even more!) I recall that when my father was Works Manager for the Martin's Garage Group who had the two sites on either side of the A45 at Baginton the owner, Mr. Arthur Martin opened a showroom in that building. The interesting thing was that cars were driven into the basement carpark and onto a hydraulic lift which then raised them through a hole in the floor into the show room. sadly no trace of that innovation remains in the building. The other interesting thing is that Arthur Martin who lived on the Kenilworth Road always had his personal Humber car sprayed a ghastly lilac colour! Incidentally my grand parents owned the garage on the Holyhead Rd through the war as Pritchard's Garage I believe, before it became Bridge Clock Garage. When it was sold so my grandmother could buy a hotel outside Southampton my father had to complete his apprenticeship at the Alvis works across the road from the garage (now a retail park as you know)

Following on from my recent post on the Jaguar thread about elements of old Cov still visible, this one popped up from my friend Dean Nelson on FB. Pretty sure they are still parts of the same brick wall on the Radford Road.

Neil, I think you are a few yards out! The garage was where Aldi is now, next to the Congregational Church which can be seen in the old picture, that is where the surgery is now on the corner of Villa Road. The flats are where The Radford Hotel also had pillars outside which you can see that I have borrowed from Real Ale Rambles which mods can remove if that is a problem. I think these match the ones outside the flats better as they appear to be a slightly different shape. There is this pillar on the left of Aldi on the border by the surgery that could be one from the garage but you can't see the top The garage was immediately opposite St Nicholas Church, it was modernised sometime in the 60's as can just be seen behind this attractive couple

Here is a better picture of the pillar Neil, it does look as if it has a top like the ones outside the garage.

Well done Anne - what a lovely couple!

Thanks Neil, that was taken at my cousin's wedding in 1971.