I just thought I'd share with you a picture of my recently finished van,some of you will probably remember it from strathmore auction which is where I purchased it about 18 months ago.1st time on the road yesterday for god knows how many years.
It's been a difficult restoration for me due to health reasons but glad it's now done.

Location: Doncaster

Looks great. Well done.

Location: Tropical Colchester

Fantastic! Well done Mark.

Well done Mark,I can remember seeing it at the end of 2012 when I paid you a visit. It was in a bit of a state but I could see what you had done so far and knew it would be spot on when finished. A few more photos would be nice.
Hope to see you out and about in it soon.
Regards Ian.

Location: Work (sheffield)

Thanks Ruairidh and Bart,there's a couple of other pictures on my photobucket page,if anyone intrested.

Location: Doncaster

Thanks Ian,I think this mug of tea kept full helped.

Location: Doncaster

That looks terrific! I must get to work on mine!

Location: Herefordshire with an E, not a T.

Hello Mark. What a beautifully presented van. Can't let no3 son see it though otherwise he'll start nagging me to finish the 'C' cab.
Best regards from the creative county
Stuart
PS The 'Captcha' logo reminds me to visit 'Spec Savers'

Location: Staffordshire

Thankyou Martin and Stuart. Did you note the bargain trafficators Stuart,I had to make the arms and one is a bit weak and won't lock in very well,despite various adjustments to the locking spring and pin at the top,do you have any tips?

Location: Doncaster

Mark,

Just looked at the other pictures- what a grand job - and I love the toolkits in the back - truly excellent, including the Wallace and Gromit machine !!

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Australia

Mark,

Excellent job! Makes me want to run into the workshop and crack on!!

Now it's finished, when do you start the next one?

cheers
R

Location: Horsham

Epic achievement Mark it's a credit to you and looks marvellous, the internal woodwork is wonderful.

Location: Near Bicester.

Thank you Tony,Robbie and Ivor for your kind comments.

Tony,I'm sure the wallace and grommit machine will be a talking point at events.

Robbie,I do have a replica van project which took a back seat when I bought this original one but I've been toying with the idea of selling it as a project as my energy levels aren't good and I could do with the space,but we'll see.

Ivor,I'm pleased with the woodwork,I'm a metalwork man and prefer it because if you cut too much off,you can weld it back on,it's a bit different with wood but I'll try anything once, I don't think there's a straight piece of wood anywhere on it.

Location: Doncaster

This is a bit of a odd one but I'm looking at having the van sign written. It was owned by a George hall,Murrayfield garage,Edinburgh.the telephone number I have is 61916, would a 5 digit number be correct for 1930's Edinburgh.
And also if anyone knows any information on George hall,it would be great,apparently they were Austin and Riley dealers.

Location: Doncaster

Mark, perhaps somebody in the Scottish A7 Club could have a look through a 1930's newspaper at the Archivist Offices in Edinburgh, there should be a 'George Hall' advert in there somewhere, and thus a contemporary phone number.

Location: On the very Edge of Europe....West of Jelbert, Brian, Alastair, Bob and everybody else..

Thanks Sandy. I got a copy from a phone directory sent to me from a Edinburgh historian showing the phone number and I think he said it was from a 1937 directory but I can't find the email. Ruiairidh kindly put me a request in the Scottish club magazine to see if anyone had any information but I haven't heard anything. I'm going to Northumberland next month for a few day and may nip up to Edinburgh and see if I can have a look through the archives.

Location: Doncaster

5 digit phone number may be right for Edinburgh, though if Murryfield had it's own exchange, then - who knows, I think the easy answer is to look at other period adverts and see if they are also 5 digit.

I've checked some of John Croall's adverts at Castle Terrace, Edinburgh and they seem to be 5 digits from the late 1920's through to 1950's..
1927 is Cent. 22064
1950 is 22064.

E.& O.E.

Checking some adverts from the 1920's, very few show telephone numbers anyway, bar London adverts where it's a (district) name + 4 digits.
I did notice that places like Perth and Stirling only had 3 digit telephone numbers in the mid 30's.

Location: On the very Edge of Europe....West of Jelbert, Brian, Alastair, Bob and everybody else..

Hi Mark,

I'm unable to post the reply intended re phone numbers, as I'm constantly getting the dreaded spam detected page. It simply won't allow me to post. I'll try again in a few days time. This spam detected issue is beyond a joke !

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Thanks Sandy, I think a trip to Edinburgh is on the cards. I saw some adverts for John croall whilst looking on a Edinburgh site,is it any relation?

Jeff,no problem,thanks.

Location: Doncaster

Mark I've had a look through Austin Dealers and Agents in the UK from 1929 through to 1939, and our mate George does not list in Edinburgh. The phone numbers however are 5 digits. cheers Russell
edit: I do find him in 29/30 post office directory listed as taxi hirer, motor engineer and agent.

Location: oz

Location: On the very Edge of Europe....West of Jelbert, Brian, Alastair, Bob and everybody else..

Hi Mark,

I'm going to break up my long post into a number of smaller posts, hoping to overcome this infuriating spam detected issue.

Congratulations, the van looks absolutely superb, wish I could make as much progress with mine as you've done with yours!

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Mark,

Re phone books, back in 2007 BT made all old telephone directories as far back as 1880 available online, just as with early census records. I believe these directories are available through ancestry uk though maybe available elsewhere online.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Mark,

Another source of info if you happen to be in Edinburgh, is to go to the local studies section of the Central Library and look for Wards or similar Trade Directories - these directories give details of business addresses, telephone numbers etc, they'll definitely have some on their shelves for the mid 1930's as they're of use to local historians and family history researchers, which is why you'll find them on the local studies shelves of most large town and city libraries - I've spent many hours at the Central Library in Newcastle researching info from early trade directories.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Mark,

Re County Archive Departments, bear in mind that many request that you first make an appointment to view, certainly my local County Archive Department does. The one in Edinburgh could of course have useful archive documents, brochures etc relating to George Hall of Murrayfield, so might be worth you ringing in advance of your visit.

See www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20032/access_to_information/600/edinburgh_city_archives

Best of luck, let us know how you get on.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Hi Mark

I found this reference to your George in a 1930's phone book. Having copied and pasted I can't find it again at the moment but here is the paste. George appears to be a multitasker. It does confirm the phone number that you gave.

HALL GEORGE, cab and taxi hirer and
motor engineer and agent, 2 Hope street
Telephone, 26003 ; 7 Murrayfield place
Telephone, 26003 ; 3 Barclay terrace
Telephone, 53082; and Murrayfield garage
Telephone, 61916

Regards Richard Tatton

Location: Sutton Coldfield

Hi Mark

I found this reference to your George in a 1930's phone book. Having copied and pasted I can't find it again at the moment but here is the paste. George appears to be a multitasker. It does confirm the phone number that you gave.

HALL GEORGE, cab and taxi hirer and
motor engineer and agent, 2 Hope street
Telephone, 26003 ; 7 Murrayfield place
Telephone, 26003 ; 3 Barclay terrace
Telephone, 53082; and Murrayfield garage
Telephone, 61916

Regards Richard Tatton[/quote]

ps just found it again

http://archive.org/stream/postofficeann193031edin/postofficeann193031edin_djvu.txt

Location: Sutton Coldfield

well done mark,

i was at the auction when you bought it.

has it been sign written yet, it does bring the vans to life.

tony

Thankyou very much Jeff and Richard.
Richard that's confirmed the information I have and ties in with the log book, it does seem our George had his fingers in a few pies. Just looking at a dealers book from 1959 shows him as a Austin and Riley franchise holder as I was told but persumed it was earlier then 1959,he did own the van from 1935(new) until 1954 which could be before he obtained the Austin franchise.
Once again thanks for everyone's help.

Location: Doncaster

Thanks Tony,I've just booked the signwriter who going to try and fit me in over the next few weeks,it just needs the bit of colour to bring it together. The adrenaline wasn't half pumping at the auction,got a bit carried away but always wanted a van and as you know,they don't come up too often.

Location: Doncaster

Mark, doing some tidying up...
I've found some original invoices dated 1909 of John Croall's in George St. Edinburgh.
they have a phone number of 2518, so 5 digits by mid 30's is reasonable.

At that time they were the sole Scottish agents for De-Dietrich & Co.,
and Agents for Rolls Royce, Royal Mercedes, Clement-Talbot Mors and DeDion Bouton Motor Carriages.
How times have changed, just off for a run in the RP....

Location: On the very Edge of Europe....West of Jelbert, Brian, Alastair, Bob and everybody else..

Thanks Sandy, I'm pretty confident that I now have the correct details and number,although I don't now whether to have just George Hall,Murrayfield garage,Edinburgh or to include motor engineer to it, what I really need is a picture of it outside the garage in 1935 but that might be asking too much.

Location: Doncaster

Hi Mark,

Just a thought, why not wait until you've viewed any archive material that Edinburgh Archives may have - perhaps they've some letter headings or similar publicity material that might offer a particular style of typeface or graphic logo that George Hall used that you could copy then blow up onto the side of the van - that's assuming they haven't a photo of the actual van showing its 1930's livery.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Your probably right Jeff,I've trawled the online newspaper archives today looking at motor dealers etc of the 1930's in Edinburgh but still nothing on George hall,interestingly when I got it you could also make "Scottish" out on the rear doors and some of the adverts I've seen today were for Scottish motor traction co ltd but I have nothing else in the documents to say they once owned it.
Another thing thats slightly confusing is that I have old log books showing George hall owned it until 1954 but am I correct in thinking that WS is a Bristol number.

Location: Doncaster

Hi Mark,

No, WS is Leith - the eastern dock area of Edinburgh, so absolutely right. Unfortunately the registration records for WS only survive for the years 1903 to 1920, the later years are presumed destroyed, though you could confirm that when you visit the Edinburgh Archives, as they hold the '03 to '20 records.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Great,thanks Jeff at least that makes sense. I've spoke to a a member of the Williamson family today who run and own the Alvie estate in Kincraig,Jane Williamson owned it in the late 1950's,sadly she's in hospital at the moment but there expecting her to be home soon and told me to call in a few days.hopefully she'll be able to help me with some of the detail.

Location: Doncaster

Hi Mark,

As I've probably mentioned on here before, I also own a Morris - a 1936 Eight Series I Tourer. Looking through the cars original Operation Manual, it lists all the Morris Distributors and Dealers throughout the UK. One of thirteen such distributor / dealers in Edinburgh was a company called Scottish Automobile Co. Ltd. 7/8 Queensferry Street, Tel: 25650 - whether this business had anything to do with the 'Scottish' on your rear doors or with George Hall - just thought I'd mention it.

I see John Croall & Sons Ltd, Castle Terrace, Tel: 22064 is listed as a Morris Distributor / Dealer.

Jeff.

Meant to ask, is the large military scrapyard still situated in Bawtry? Been down there a few times in the late 1970's and early 80's with a friend who had an Austin Champ, looking for spares. I remember the yard having sizeable chunks of aircraft - I recall a complete Shackleton cockpit.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

WOW Mark. Very impressive and well done. Look forward to seeing her in the flesh.

Was great to see you at Wollaton and have a catch-up.

Drove the RP to a friends Birthday bash at Ruddington Heritage Centre yesterday.
50 mile round trip. Great fun.

Regards Paul.

Thanks Paul,good to hear from you and yes it was great to catch up at woolaton.
Glad your getting some enjoyment out of the car,that's what they were made for.
All the very best.
Mark.

P.S hope you haven't just got home from Wollaton on that bike.

Location: Doncaster

Had the signwriting done on the van yesterday,amazing to watch a true craftsman at work and i'm really pleased with it and think it finishes it off.

Location: Doncaster

Very nice indeed!

Thanks Ruairidh,it's been a headache at times as most restoration are but I'm very pleased with how it's finished up.

Location: Doncaster

Mark --that looks superb and how appropriate to put it back to its original signwriting and I hope to see you driving around --great achievement !

Hi Mark

Great sign writing. Is he/she local as I need some lettering & lining doing on one of my small motor rollers.

Top job.
Paul.

Thanks John,I'm hoping to get a few miles on it before the winter.

Paul, the man who did the writing is Graham Bridges from Tetney near Grimsby,he is willing to travel and I can't recommend him highly enough,I just watched in amazement and he was chatting away to me as he did it,obviously it was just so natural to him.
Google Graham Bridges signwriter and he has a web site.

Location: Doncaster

Thanks for that Mark. I'll contact him.

Paul

well done mark,

as i sed before the sign writing always brings them to life.

i`m sure the S V V C would love to see it now, the austin 12 pick-up which i think was in the same auction as yours. is now on display there (restored).

tony

Thanks Tony,I've seen pictures of the pick up,very nicely done.
I hoping to take it to the SVCC extravaganza at Glamis castle next year.
It's nice to know that at least two vehicles in the auction have made it back on the road.

Location: Doncaster

More plaudits Mark! Your van looks fantastic, but I wouldn't expect anything less judging by your RP. That'll be another Austin Seven to tiptoe around the Doncaster pot holes.

Location: Doncaster