Avery-Hardoll garage petrol pumps.

Garages at nighttime up and down the land would often exhibit a range of brightly illuminated petrol pump globes, advertising brands of fuel such as National Benzole, Shell, Pratts and Esso to name a few. Globes of all shapes and sizes could be seen by eagle-eyed motorists as they commuted in their cars, all designed to lure in passing car owners to a particular brand or blend of motor spirit. And it would be pumps such as those produced by Avery-Hardoll that would do the dispensing.

The two leaflets featured here both originate from Welland's Garage in Somerset, and were acquired by the owner of this garage/petrol station, I'd estimate, in the early 1950s. Both were provided to the garage by W.A. Mitton of Bristol, an Avery-Hardoll petrol pump sales representative. The main factory was located on Oakcroft Road, Tolworth, Surbiton in Surrey, contactable either by telephone, or by sending a telegram to HARDOLPUMP, LONDON. The main fold-out brochure refers to the Model S, while the supplement that comes with it refers specifically to the AH 101 model.

The Model S.

The larger of the two publications concentrates on the Avery-Hardoll Model S, a once-common design of pump that would have been familiar to most garage mechanics in the post-war years. A couple of years back I photographed an old garage in Welshpool, and it had a pair of pumps just like this outside its premises (photos here).

There were three versions of the Model S available, the "Pre-set", the "Standard", and the "Computer". The former two variants featured a display similar to a clock face (as shown on the cover of the brochure above), with pointers that moved in a clockwise direction. The "Computer", reminiscent of pumps in use in the 1970s and later, featured rotating drums which recorded the number of gallons dispensed, the price per gallon (no litres in those days), and the cumulative sale figure, in shillings and pence.

The Model S also featured a "light poise" nozzle, described as both sensitive and capable of avoiding splash, at all speeds. The pump was a belt-driven type, mounted upon the air separator. Both types referred to in these leaflets incorporate the radial arm, ie the arm fitted in between the top of the pump and the globe, which could rotate through a full 360 degrees to which the fuel supply hose and nozzle were attached. It incorporated a sight glass in its design. A cutaway diagram of the Model S pump is also given.

"The New Avery-Hardoll "S" model has been designed with the object of meeting the demand of those of our customers who favour the short model pump. The internal mechanism of the pump is similar in all respects to the Avery-Hardoll "X" series which have achieved such outstanding success. The layout is somewhat modified but internally the pump is built with the same field-tested units which have made the name of Avery-Hardoll synonymous with reliability and beauty.

"The "S" pump - new in appearance - is built of components which have 20 years of test in the field - it embodies all the latest refinements in painting - de-rusting and bonderising of all parts. Infra red painting ensures a continuous lasting perfection of paintwork and freedom from rusting.

"Automatic zeroising is a unique and a recognised feature of Avery-Hardoll products.

A diagram describing a typical installation for the Model S is given, which includes facts such as the pump's weight (3cwt 2 qrs net, 5cwt gross), the length of hose (10ft of 3/4" bore), and its delivery speed (11-11.5 gallons per minute).

The AH 101 model.

The AH 101 is a taller design when compared to the aforementioned Model S (5ft 6 3/4" tall as opposed to 5ft 2" tall), excluding globes. The single sheet flyer describes its key features. This electrically-operated pump also incorporates the 360 degree radial arm, described as an "entirely fresh feature" in petrol pump design, suggesting that perhaps the AH 101 pre-dates the Model S slightly as it too has such an arm as part of its specification.

"The NEW AH 101 Electric Metering Pump embodies an entirely fresh feature, a radial arm which enables the discharge hose to be manipulated through a full circle, even when an illuminated globe is fitted, thus affording maximum flexibility of operation.

"The casings are of the latest quick-release type buffered by rubber and painted by the famous infra-red process.

The reverse of the leaflet has a diagram explaining the internal workings and specification of the pump.

"The AH101 Meter Pump embodies an automatic zeroising device which is connected to the main electric motor for a sufficient period to return the indicators to zero. This combines the operations of zeroising the counter and starting the motor, and it is only necessary to remove the hose-cock to do all that is required before commencing a delivery. A correct sequence of operations is thereby mechanically ensured without the use of an interlock device.

More period items relating to old vehicles can be found in the Motoring Collectables section of oldclassiccar.co.uk. An earlier catalogue for Bowser pumps, probably from the 1920s, can be found here.