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On 31st March a piece of Wellesbourne history came to an end when Chris
and Joy Cole retired and closed the large grey doors of Wellesbourne Garage for
the final time. Chris is the third generation of the Cole family to have owned
the business. Its origins date back to 1920 when Chris’s grandfather Samuel
Henry Cole bought the small block of buildings at the corner of Bridge Street and School Road.
The garage itself was opened in 1923/24 and was said to be
very modern for its time. From 1928 onwards the garage was run by Chris’s
grandmother Agnes along with her three sons, George (Chris’s father), Jack and
Percy, and various other staff. Her daughter Dorothy also ran a sweet shop
where Connells now have their Estate Agents.
The garage in both appearance and its position in the village was a true link with
the past. The view of cars being worked on beyond the wide open doors would
have changed little down the decades. A set of petrol pumps made an appearance
in the 1950’s, the first being set in the middle of the pavement. These ceased to be used in the 1980’s
and were later removed. The original is now in a motor museum at Bourton-on-the-Water.
The makes and models of the cars have of course changed. By the time Chris and Joy
bought the garage in 1978, they were working on the likes of Hillman Imps,
Austin Cambridges, Triumph Heralds, Talbot Sambas and Humber Hawks. They saw
the coming and going of Maestros and Sierras and ended with the Kangoos, Rios,
Picassos, Sirions, C3s, Tiguans and Yetis of today.
I have to admit I will also miss the garage for a purely selfish reason. As a
customer for the past 25 years the news of its closure did bring a certain
amount of shock and panic.
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The level of service Chris and Joy gave was something special.
Customers knew that everything was done to a very high
standard. Also nothing was done that didn’t need doing. It was also the extras
that were important. I remember how, many years ago, Chris would find replacement parts for
our aging Fiat from the scrap yard rather than charge us full price for new parts
which would long outlive the car.
Wellesbourne is fortunate in having other garages with long standing pedigrees, but the
closing of the original Wellesbourne Garage is both a great loss for its
customers and a genuine break with its past.
Now the garage has closed, Joy and Chris will have time for restoring, using and
showing their classic cars. At the moment they have an immaculate Austin
Hereford, an Austin Devon van which is being restored and a very rare Hereford
Convertible which is awaiting restoration. They also have a bungalow awaiting a
lot of work and their allotment will always keep them busy. They will also be
able to go on holidays without some of us car owners anxiously awaiting their
return. It is with heartfelt thanks we wish Joy and Chris a long and happy retirement.
NLB
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