Dinneswood Garage, Tarves, Aberdeenshire.
Henry Pirie dropped me a line early in 2019, with the following three, fascinating, old photographs of Dinneswood Garage, an establishment in the ownership of a Mr Arthur Watson. Henry worked here for quite a few years. He in turn had been sent them by the proprietor's daughter, June, so to both Henry and June I send my thanks for being able to reproduce them here.
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The earliest of the images dates to around 1949/1950, when the business began. The rear of a car (registered HXA 135 - Kirkcaldy, late 1946) can be seen, poking out of the garage entrance, while above it a sign proudly proclaims this to be in the ownership of Mr Arthur Watson, Agricultural and Motor Engineer. Beneath a Castrol oils sign is a display cabinet, containing a number of motoring accessories to aid passing motorists.
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To the right, and closer to the photographer, are - starting from the left - an Essolube petrol pump (marked Private), an air line, a Carburol oil additive dispenser and sign, another Essolube pump (this time marked Commercial), and finally a Castrol oils cabinet, in which various lubricants would be stored suitable for engines, gearboxes, axles and other essential items of a mechanical nature.
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The garage building itself, comprising brick construction and a corrugated tin roof, is reminiscent of old wartime RAF buildings.
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The second, colour, photograph, is from around 1956, the time that Henry began his apprenticeship in the motor trade at this establishment. By this time, the mid-1950s and just a few years after the above photo was taken, the tall Castrol oils cabinet had been replaced by a shorter version of same, while at the furthest end an additional red cabinet had been installed. In the distance, behind the chap in the flat cap, can be seen a metal tank. This was destined to be installed along with a third petrol pump, to dispense "Esso Golden", a short-lived five-star fuel. Two of the cars in view I'm not sure about, the black car parked to the right is a pre-war Austin Ten Lichfield. Also worth a mention is the smart illuminated Esso sign.
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Last in this trio, is an aerial view of the garage site dating to around 1962. The extra third petrol pump, referred to above, can be seen in this view, over to the left, while a third has joined the others on the front row. More striking though is the much larger building that has been built, to the right of - and joining - the original. An Austin A30/A35 van is parked in front of the buildings, while over to the left is an earlier van - perhaps a Morris Z van, or a Fordson 5cwt. As if the vans weren't exciting enough, in the background behind the buildings are a further three old cars, the two on the right looking like they may have been driven for the last time, and in retirement.
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Once again, my thanks for sending these over.
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More on old garages, here at OCC.
Over the years, lots of photographs of, and items of ephemera relating to, old garages have been added to the site. Below are just a few sample links from the photo section alone, to hopefully whet the appetite of anyone else who has an interest in the commercial side of the car world, in the early-to-mid 20th Century.
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Ashford Motors in the 1950s.
Aston's Garage, a fascinating series of exterior and interior photographs and memories.
Early photos of a Bianchi and a Model T Ford outside a garage in Cheadle, Cheshire.
Causeway Garage in Dorset, during the 1920s - 1960s.
Wallbutton's Garage, Burnham-on-Sea.
Welland's Garage, in Berrow.
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A quick try of the site search at the foot of this page will bring up a good number of other pages, relating in some way to the world of old garages, here on Old Classic Car.
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Return to Page 20 in the motoring photographs archive, or visit the main index here.
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