1. A vintage Galloway touring car.
Fortunately the badge on the lefthand car's radiator is just visible, and confirms that this particular automobile is a Galloway, a product of an almost-forgotten motor-car manufacturer from north of the border. Two young children are seem clambering around in their parent's small tourer, with a smartly dressed lady, quite possibly the owner, stood alongside for the photo. To the right is another tourer of quite small proportions - Ian, from the Bullnose Morris Club, confirms that this is a 1924-season Morris Cowley "Chummy". Apparently, the spare wheel of Cowley Chummies is mounted in a well on the offside running board for the 1924 season, but at the rear for the 1925 and 1926 season.
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The Galloway is registered SM 4409, which is a Dumfries (Scotland) number, linking in nicely with the area that the car was built in. The car on the right, XP 3077, was registered in London and is, I think, of different manufacture. Galloway was a very unusual car manufacturer, not just because it was one of the few firms situated in Scotland, but because is was mainly staffed by women, and the car aimed squarely at the female motorist - quite a rare breed in the 1920s. One of their ad slogans went: "a car made by ladies for others of their sex". Local women were encouraged to take up apprenticeship posts, and sign up on training courses, all designed to encourage the good ladies of the area into the factory. By all accounts strenuous efforts were made to ensure that the Galloway factory was a pleasant place to work - tennis courts were installed on the roof of the factory, with bathing and swimming facilities also on offer, if running around chasing a tennis ball, or taking part in the factory's hockey team, sounded like too much effort.
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The firm was founded in 1920 as a subsidiary to another Scottish motor-car maker, namely Arrol-Johnston. Initially the cars were produced at a factory in Tongland, Kirkcudbrightshire (a drawing of the Galloway Works may be found in the scanned 1921 sales leaflet, shown further down this page), but in 1923 this switched to a new facility in Dumfries. Perhaps therefore the car shown on this page was a works' demonstrator, or test car, registered as it was in the same area?
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Two models were built throughout the short life of Galloway. First out of the door was the Galloway 10/20, a small car powered by a 1460cc sidevalve engine. Production would run from 1920 through to 1925, and I suspect the car shown here is an example of the 10/20. In 1925 the 10/20 was replaced by the 1669cc 12hp model, which was in essence a re-badged version of a car designed by the parent company, Arrol-Johnston. Initially known as the '12', it would later become the 12/30 and finally the 12/50, before production ceased altogether in 1929.
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According to a copy of "Motor Specifications and Prices 1934", the 10.9hp (RAC rating) Galloway 10/20 cost 295 GBP in 1923, dropping to 265 GBP in 1924. In the 1925, the final year for this model, the price had dropped to 250 GBP. The all-new 12hp car would debut at 265 GBP, and rise in 1926 to 325 GBP. By comparison, a 12.8hp Austin of 1926 would have cost 315 GBP.
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Interestingly, the Galloway marque also makes an appearance in the commercial vehicle section of the same book, with an 11.9hp van listed for 1926-1928 inclusively. It was rated at 10cwt, and weighed 15cwt. The price in 1927 was 250 GBP, rising to 275 GBP the following year.
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Due to this car's rarity, I've popped a larger scan of the car in isolation below...
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2. A Galloway photographed in Australia.
Dennis in NZ dropped me a line, attaching this cracking old photo that shows a Galloway in Australia. He also sent in some scans from a sales brochure of the time. He adds: " I own a 1927 Arrol Johnston, so being the same company am interested in Galloway photos etc. You are right, the car in your photo could be a 10/20 or a 12/30 I have a catalogue for Nov 1925 which is for the 1926 models, and it shows what could be the same model - it calls it the 2 Seater Standard, with a 4ft 3.5 inch track. It also shows the de Luxe model, which has a radiator the same as a that fitted to the Arrol Johnston. Both have the new overhead valve engine. I enclose a photo I picked up taken in Australia - it could have a locally-made body, I think on the de luxe chassis." Thanks for the information Dennis - below is the photo he sent over, along with catalogue scans showing the Galloway 4 seater (Standard and De Luxe), and the sporty 2 Seater.
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3. A Galloway saloon car.
Jo kindly provided the following two photos, found in an old family album. They both feature a vintage Galloway saloon of the late 1920s. In the first image, the car's owner is seen attending to a spot of lubrication at the front end. A sprung front bumper has been fitted to this car, although just visible I can't make out the writing in the diamond-shaped badge fitted to the bumper. Both photos date to 1928. Note the distinctive front windscreen arrangement, incorporating a split two-piece centre screen, with separate rectangular screens either side.
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The second of Jo's photos features the same car, but viewed from the driver's side.
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4. Another example of the Galloway saloon car.
Thanks to David now for the following Galloway photo. In it, his father's sister is stood with the car at Loch Fyneside in the 1930s. As with the saloon further up this page, this car's unusual windscreen arrangement can clearly be seen here. The car's registration was SM 6373, a Dumfriesshire issue that enjoyed a lengthy run - all the way from its introduction in 1903, up to the middle of 1933 no less. The car shown at the top of this page was registered SM 4409, therefore also from the Dumfries area.
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A sales leaflet from 1921.
Several years after this page went live, an original sales brochure/leaflet for the 1921 Galloway Coupe turned up via a visitor to the site. In keeping with what has already been included on this page, it seemed right to include scans on here. A stamp on the cover - which doesn't even feature a car on it (perhaps the artwork had yet to arrive) - advises that the Premier Garage Limited, of Hopwood Lane in Halifax, was the sole Galloway sales agency for the area, and was presumably where this leaflet was first passed to a member of the public.
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The terms and conditions listed across two sides of this tri-fold leaflet, are dated March 1921. The "Information" page provides a little background information to this motor-car builder, which at the time was situated in the Galloway Works, in Kirkcudbright.
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"A Scottish mountain stream supplies all the turbine power which operates the machinery in the huge new Galloway Car Works.
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"Which entirely eliminates from car production the cost of steam engines, gas engines, and coal, and cuts away a large proportion of the expense of manufacture.
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"This economy in production means that a better class of work than the average can be put into the car and a better quality of material used, without any increase in the retail price.
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"The Galloway Car is designed by that veteran car builder, Mr T.C. Pullinger, and is backed by the Beardmore chain of steel industries.
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"It has been specially designed to give long and consistent road service at a minimum of running cost. And it is more a successful experiment in cutting costs on a quality model than an experiment in design.
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The specifications page describes the car, with its four-cylinder engine, positive lubrication system, magneto ignition, three-speed gearbox, and the steering and brake arrangements. The coachwork is described as painted standard green with black lines, and a nickel finish to the brightwork. Also: "framework of best seasoned wood and forged steel, with rustless steel panels".
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There's a photo of a 10/20HP Galloway Coupe loosely stuck into the leaflet, the quoted price for the car in March 1921 is 495 GBP. As mentioned further up this page, the "Motor Specifications and Prices 1934" book gives prices in 1923 of 295 GBP, dropping to 250 GBP by 1925, so continual price reductions seemed to be the order of the day, quite possibly in a bid to remain competitive with rival small cars (the Austin 7 for example was introduced in 1922).
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"The Galloway is suitable for long-distance business use, for professional visits or for shopping and visiting. It is particularly inexpensive to run and bears the impress of quality and good taste. The petrol consumption is very low.
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"THE EQUIPMENT includes special Coupe Body with collapsible head and dickey seat, "Lucas" Electric Lighting and Starting Set, Detachable Michelin Disc Wheels, 710x99mm Michelin Tyres, Spare Wheel and Tyre, &c., &c.
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"The Body affords plenty of leg-room and window-space. The specially-designed pillars to screen and the flat-falling head render it a very neat open two-seater model when the head is lowered.
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Enquiries to the manufacture could be directed to them by either telephoning 49 Kirkcudbright, or by sending a telegram to Engines, Kirkcudbright.
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 8.
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