Aston's Garages and Light Cars

I remember Bob as being extremely competitive at everything he did. He was also an extremely good darts player and used to get excited over a game of darts the way many people get excited over a football match.

Bob Jnr is my dad.

This is your great grandfather, Harry Robert Aston, my father Can send many more if you want

Bill Aston aquired the old school/church type building on the corner of Vecqueray St/Far Gosford St. which is now Scholars Nightclub, this was the original Rayfield Auto's for a short while and then when Bill acquired the garage on the corner of Vecqueray St/Gulson Road that became Rayfield Auto's, I believe Ray Norman was involved in this venture at the 1st site. Ray Norman was virtually Bill's right hand man, I remember Bill bought Ray a new Jaguar as a present and Ray Norman accidentally drove it out of the main showroom through the glass window!! Some of these wood framed glass panels opened to allow access to the showroom, I guess Ray assumed this one was open. Ray Norman was the man who headed up the car sales at Aston's and I remember the first new Mini being in the showroom covered up ready for its release on sale to the public. My father Ray Wing headed up the motorcycle sales working with Harold Dudley, my father later worked for John Aston and ran the car sales at Light Cars Ltd. I used to work without pay at Aston's for quite a while before I left school and of course knew all of the Astons, Bill Aston was I am told my godfather, he treated me really well apart from when I was seconded to help him do building repairs and pull an old iron roller up and down the tennis courts at Warwick Road to get it ready for a match. Talk about forced labour!!! I really dreaded that job, I think Ray Norman's son Paul also had this experience on a few occasions! I remember Ray Norman in those days as quite a dashing sort of man and I had nothing but admiration for him and always wanted to be like him.

I am interested in the garage at the corner of Gulson Road and Vecqueray Street, How long were Rayfield Autos there, did Aston's ever operate out of it. I know Light Cars still used it for a while after the main Aston's Garages had closed, but not sure what they used it for. I remember it being empty for quite a while.

I remember the site Montgomery occupied which is now a fabricating works, the main entrance is the beginning of the original road that used to exist with houses all along both sides of the street, a little way down that road was a yard which Bill Aston owned with a few lock up garages in it. Aston's used this yard to store old motorcycles and combo's one or two Issettas and 3 wheeled Bonds were kept there most of these vehicles were unroadworthy. I along with Bill Aston, his young nephew Maurice Aston, another lad whose name now escapes me, loaded all these bikes up onto a flatbed lorry and we took them to Marton where they were stored in a long low roofed old shed. This shed later caught fire destroying the bikes and old spares, I believe Harry Aston later sold it all for scrap metal. If you come off the ring road and head for Gosford Street island you can still see this old yard to the left of the road behind the old Montgomery site, the lock ups which were of a wooden structure are now gone. Incidentally, that same part of the exit off the ring road has Roman remains underneath it, there were plans to build another flyover road off this going over Sky Blue Way turning right to follow the old railway line in Humber Road to eventually join onto the Whitley island near Asda. A friend of mine who works for the Crown explained to me in detail of this future plan which would have put the top end of Far Gosford Street underneath a flyover, as would have been the old vacant school site to the left of the lights at the top of Sky Blue Way. Perhaps this is why nearly all of the planning applications for this area have failed to materialise over the last few years.

Can anyone remember the car dealers in a small showroom and yard almost opposite Light Cars in the 60's ? it was just to the left of Light Cars as you looked out of the forecourt.

The old spares shop next door to Aston's motorcycle showroom was originally a sweet shop, I remember going into the place which was in semi darkness even on a bright day, the owner was a very tall slim man who was quite gruff to deal with, anyone else remember this? Most of his customers were from the GEC works around the corner which is now converted into storage units.

I remember the sweet shop on the corner, it always had a Lyons Maid ice cream sign outside. In my day it was run by a little old lady but I think I know the man you mention? If it's the same man he used to run the model/bicycle shop a couple of doors away. He once ridiculed me for not being able to pronounce the name of a Japanese plane correctly! The factory in Hood Street at that time was BTH and later AEI.

Yes you're quite right about the Hood Street factory being formally BTH and later AEI, forgive my dementia kicking in again! And yes I remember that little old lady but I always assumed that he owned the sweet shop because every time I went into the shop he would appear behind you blocking out the light! Maybe they were related? We used to use the back streets and Hood Street to test the motorbikes.

If you would like to contact Bob by phone or visit in Southport, and I am sure he would appreciate meeting old friends, feel free to contact me for his address and number, regards Roger

Thanks Roger but I was just a kid at the time, Bob would barely remember me

You would be surprised at Bob's memory, went to see him yesterday with his son Bob jnr and granddaughter, a very nice lady, spoke to Bob at length, mentioned his darts and other activities and told him some people remembered him from those days. Bob still remembers old acquaintances/friends and places he used to frequent. Although Bob may be struggling with the onset of Parkinson's disease, his memory and alertness is incredible. Regards, Roger

Are we talking about Charlie Aston's spares shop here as a sweet shop. I understood Bill bought this in 1946 for Charlie supposedly to live in, the planning records show enforcement notices being survived so when did it stop being a sweet shop, or am I confused. There was a planning application to change use to a shop in 1953 No 7909