The Clock Garage at Woodville.
During a cross-country expedition in 2014, I found myself cruising down the A511 to the south east of Burton upon Trent, when at a roundabout in Woodville (postcode DE11 8DG) I stumbled across this magnificent old garage. A swift about-turn was executed, and the camera retrieved from the car's glovebox. Now used as a tyre emporium, The Clock Garage evidently began life as a car garage-cum-workshop in the 1930s era. Normally I'd skirt by this location on the A50 and M1, so this discovery served as a reminder that navigating roads not yet visited can turn up some fascinating old buildings.
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A few other photos of this garage can be found online, some showing the frontage in much better repair. Google's Streetview image from 2008 shows the rendering needing repair, while in the updated image from 2011 it looks much healthier, so hopefully the presentation of this rare survivor will again get a freshening-up soon. A few of the Roman numerals on the clock face also need replacement. Do any period photographs of the building survive? Although not visible from this angle, behind the garage is a large scrap metal yard, as is an old kiln that harks back to a pottery business that resided there.
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Here's a closer look at the clock, and the style of lettering used to advertise the premises.
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While it's now used by Kwik-Fit, the business operating from here into the 1960s was called The Clock Garage (Woodville) Ltd. Documents found elsewhere
advise that in October 1968 the business was being entered into liquidation. Unusually for what must have been a large concern, I can't find any reference to the name in RAC Handbooks from the 1920s through to the 1950s so maybe it was never an RAC-approved establishment? If anyone can shed light on the garage's early days, I'd be interested to hear from you so that this page can be updated.
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Return to the old garage photos section at OCC.
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