When Wilmotts garage became landmark family business in town

How many people can remember Wilmott's Garages which were around the town, in a variety of locations?

Norman James Wilmott was interested in the new motor cars that were being produced in Coventry where he had been an engineering apprentice.

Norman's interest in cars was established when he was involved in the production of the first Rover cars.

He eventually left the company and searched along the south coast for a suitable site to start his own business.

He arrived in Bognor in 1902 where he set up two garages in the town.

His first premises were in Waterloo Square where he started The Pier Motor Cycle Works.

At this time, he derived his income principally from the hire and repair of cycles, trailers and bath chairs. Trailers were a type of wicker chair on wheels, which were attached to a cycle by a long iron bar.

Norman was also involved with the developing and marketing of mechanically propelled vehicles, to which they were sometimes referred.

He set up possibly the earliest Rover car dealership on the south coast of England in 1904.

Norman claimed that he taught one of the first ladies to drive a car, but unfortunately her name is unknown.

As business improved, he bought one of the new eight-seater buses '“ then also available for hire, complete with a chauffeur if you wished '“ to make short trips around the district.

What excitement this must have caused both for residents and for holidaymakers, who were lucky enough to afford to hire a vehicle and chauffeur.

In 1903, Norman built the family home above the business in Waterloo Square which included such modern conveniences for the time as a bathroom, toilet and hot water provided by a gas geyser.

Motoring then was very different to the way it is today.

Memories from one of the Wilmott family recall how people at that time went on the road without driving lessons '“ or maybe just a couple to set them on their way.

Driving tests had not been introduced, so most people did not have a licence, as we know it today.

Cars would frequently break down or run out of petrol '“ often, I suspect, in the countryside.

Telephones in those days would have been few and far between so if this occurred it would entail a walk or a knock on the door of a house to ask if you could use their phone.

The driver would then have to wait by the car until assistance arrived, sometimes hours later.

Petrol was often kept in the car in a small can. Due of course to the lack of traffic, all signals were simple and manual, including the obligatory shout if you saw someone in the road in front of you.

We have to remember that people did not often have garages with their house in the 1920s, but equally they would not dream of leaving their cars out at night.

Thus many cars would be taken to garages similar to Wilmott's to be garaged overnight.

All the cars would be gently pushed into lines, very close together to make maximum use of the space available.

During the first world war, Wilmott's was additionally kept busy transporting officers who required taxis to and from the Tangmere aerodrome.

The company also became involved in a variety of tasks associated with Royalty, the first being in 1910 when a letter was sent on June 28 from Buckingham Palace to Norman Wilmott requesting: 'Kindly let me have by return the bill for the 910 x 90 cover tube supplied to Thompson'.

Mr Thompson was a royal driver.

Business continued to increase and prior to 1914 Norman bought for 2,730 a number of fields that bordered the Aldwick Road.

Builders named FW Hill constructed premises on this site.

The roof alone cost 167.10s and was constructed with girders and materials from an aircraft hanger.

When the family eventually moved to Stocker Road, their sons piled their furniture onto a bath chair and pushed it to their new home.

Unfortunately the first world war delayed the building of the new garage.

People believed Norman was mad to build the business so deep in the countryside.

Eventually, the garage premises were built in 1921 and named The West End Garage. For a time, Norman continued with both garages but in 1924 he sold the Pier Garage as it had become known, to Sait and Gale which continued to run this site as a garage.

A receipt issued in August 1930 to a woman in Victoria Drive advises the reader that her 10hp Swift Foursome coupe had cost 276.15s. and that this included aluminium numbers at 12s. 6d. and a licence for the remainder of the year costing 4. 7s.6d.

The receipt also mentioned that customers' cars were stored and driven '˜entirely at owners risk'. At this time Wilmott's was able to store 120 cars.

Norman died in 1929 and his son, Bernard, took over the business.

In 1936 Bernard decided to pursue one of his interests '“ the Monte Carlo International Car Rally '“ when he competed in the event in the light car section with a Rover 12, an open four-seater vehicle. The rally started from Stavanger in Norway.

He was accompanied by Mr K Croxford, of Bognor, and Mr H B Browning, of London.

They finished fifth and were awarded the Riviera plaque in addition to the cash prize of 1,000 francs.

They were also awarded the Aftenposten Trophy for the best light car starting from Norway.

In another event in 1936, they were winners of the Coachwork Competition. The entry records, 'Rover two-door closed car '“ Driver B Wilmott, Registration No. BP01'.

For a number of years, the Wilmott family held the registration of BP01 and BP02 denoting that their vehicles were registered from Sussex.

Although Bernard was away from the town between 1939 and 1944, while in the army, the garage remained open and continued to flourish.

It was the only garage in Bognor to cater for pool petrol and was also involved with the repair and maintenance of RAF and National Fire Service vehicles for the area.

On his return from the war, Bernard once again took control of the garage.

At this time, the business changed from principally maintaining cars to selling new vehicles.

From 1946, Bernard Wilmott ran the business. He was a supporter and founder member of the Bognor Regis Motor Club where he assisted in establishing the Goodwood Motor Circuit near Chichester.

Bernard died in 1973, but his widow, Betty, carried on the business.

However, in February 1976 Mrs R E G Wilmott advised her customers that the company was amalgamated into the family Dove Group of companies with Betty Wilmott remaining as a director.

In 1977 the Dove Group took advantage of the vacation of the Pennicotts premises next door. This was a department store which had been owned by the Pennicott family for more than 60 years, but the Pennicotts had decided to emigrate to Australia.

The purchase of these premises enabled the Dove Group to become one of the most modern garages in the area.

It also provided it with more space to enable new equipment to be installed, in readiness for the government requirements of MOT testing for vehicles, which came into force in 1979.

Today this site is still a showroom selling cars '“ one of a few sites in the town.

l In last week's article, the references to garage sites were transposed as London Road, instead of Longford Road '“ apologies.