The Mystery of Triumph House in Canley is solved

[USASPRINTMAN]

I think.

Last night at our monthly Detroit Triumph Sports Car Club meeting, I met a bloke named Tom Ringley who used to be a Standard-Triumph employee. He now works here in Detroit for Mahle, the piston makers. Anyway, I asked when the last time he visited Canley. He said last summer. The Sainburys supermarket there, he said, is right where the drawing office used to be. So everyday people are cutting up bolonga and dishing out potato salad and selling toilet paper and what not on the same ground where our cars were designed. That's a lovely thought.

Anyway, I asked about the ivy cottage near the train station with the sign over the gate that says Triumph House. I think the street number is 28. Tom said that was where Human Resources or whatever it was called back in the day was located.

Can anyone confirm?

Richard Truett

[DoloWIGHTY]

Hi Richard

I think you may have confused him by saying "Ivy Cottage" this indeed was an administrative offices for ST and there is a picture of it with Ted Middleton's dark blue Sprint parked outside on the cover of DM a couple of issues back.

This building was sadly demolished when the entire factory was re-developed in (I think) 1995.

The house you refer too I cannot find any reference to.

ALAN (Crome)

[USASPRINTMAN]

Alan:

The House is still there. I saw it in June when I visited Canley. When you get off the train and turn the corner, you cross a street and then you see an old house with a metal fence. Above the gate, it says Triumph House. Maybe it should Volkswagen house as there were several dead VWs in the yard and the place was generally a mess.

I am supposed to be member of the TDC, but I have never received anything from anybody...

Richard

[Sprint36]

I paid your membership Richard - did you send your form to Mark McLean? Perhaps I got two years membership instead of one each for me and you!

David

[Bettarn]

I used to drive past the old Canley site to work in various Triumphs. I had my most serious incident right there, with a dreaded Spitty trunnion failure..... at 40 mph, whilst changing lanes!

She was obviously distraught at the site of Sainsburys on her birthplace!

[paul sprint]

The house is as you say still there, it was owned by the factory, as was number 22 ( i think this has know been knocked down). when my granddad was running the boiler house at canley he lived there so he was always on hand. they also lived at 22 for a while , i will have to check the details with my dad.

[DoloWIGHTY]

Looks as though we have the answer then!

No, I think you mis understand what I'm saying Richard, Ivy Cottage WAS the Administrive Building and it WAS knocked down. Triumph House, as you say IS still standing, they are NOT the same building.

[USASPRINTMAN]

I wonder who lives there?
And if they have any idea of the significance of the place as being one of the remaining factory buildings.

While I was in Canley, I spent a good few hours walking around. I asked numerous people if they knew where the Triumph monument was. One older gentleman did, but not many others. I finally found it, on the side of the main road near a day care center.

Holy Ground for die-hard Triumph fans like me.

[DoloWIGHTY]

Bet they don't even care about the history of the house.

I am pleased that it does survive though so that leaves two buildings of the original site.

Did you see the before and after aerial photos I put on the old forum board earlier this year Richard?

A lot of people went to a lot of trouble to get that memorial shield in place as a permanent memorial, even the siteing of it is significant, it sits almost exactly where the entrance to the main gate stood, shame that it seems the locals don't even seem to recognise it's significance.

When they were planning the demolition of Ivy Cottage, they carefully removed the blue and white tiled mozaic that stood in the reception area, it is now framed and hangs on the wall of the corporate Bar within Gaydon. It is of course in the shape of the Triumph shield.

[mfs]

On the subject of the monument It was stated at the Triumph Forum that the monument maintenance fund still has money and that the memorial had a wash and brush up a couple of weeks ago and its still in good condition with no damage.

[Matt11]

Hi some info my grandad walter dye worked at triumph and lived in triumph house he actually handed the keys over to the factory, and continuing living in triumph house ever since! to 90 years old, unfortunately he not long just passed nearly 3 weeks ago he had quite a few positions i know he ended up running managers who each had their own teams, he had a tr8 he took to shows and many great stories he had