The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Hi guys

Good news! my DVLA info pack for BMX has just hit the door mat.

So here the info (little bit confused by who owned it after the 3rd registered keeper)

The car was manufactured 31/12/1979 (think thats supposed be 1978?)
First registered by "The Bromley motor works Ltd Kent 1 Wickham road,Beckenham Kent"

DETAILS OF PREVIOUS KEEPERS ALL REMOVED BY ADMIN FOR DATA PROTECTION REASONS

So... I am very pleased with the information and after a little bit of "google maps" work It seems to have come from a rather "well off" background of owners, As the houses and area's seemed rather posh

Anyone have any information on the bromley motor works Ltd Kent? (from all the information we've managed to collect this name hasn't even cropped up before,so its a new one to be added to the dealership info list!)

Thanks

Rob

Hello,

As a kid I used to live in the road next to Wickham Road in Beckenham. I think Bromley Motor Works was the old 'Chinese Garage'. So called due to its Pagoda roof. I real landmark of the 70's and it was definitely a British Leyland dealership, and even now it is a garage.... Skoda, I think. Certainly the 'Chinese Garage' name has survived, it is part of the address now. You might find that the garage is now registered as 'Stone Park Avenue' as the entrance was off that road really. Which is the road I used to live in. So yes, very posh!!

Hope this helps a little.

Wilf wrote:Hello,

As a kid I used to live in the road next to Wickham Road in Beckenham. I think Bromley Motor Works was the old 'Chinese Garage'. So called due to its Pagoda roof. I real landmark of the 70's and it was definitely a British Leyland dealership, and even now it is a garage.... Skoda, I think. Certainly the 'Chinese Garage' name has survived, it is part of the address now. You might find that the garage is now registered as 'Stone Park Avenue' as the entrance was off that road really. Which is the road I used to live in. So yes, very posh!!

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks Wilf

Just checked the address and yes it is called "chinese garage" - peugeot garage now,but you could just imagine the smaller building on the right hand side of the road selling all kinds of BL cars

hhmm hopefully if the garage was known as "chinese garage" back then. hopefully I might able to find some photo's of the the garage from year ago as a BL dealership.

Thanks again Wilf much appreciated

Rob

No problem boybiffa,

It was still a BL garage in early 90's as I was still getting my Austin Maxi parts from there!

The Chinese Garage is a legend and is now statutorily listed by English Heritage. It was indeed a BL dealer until the early 1990's or so and has been Peugeot (and now jointly Kia) since.

A very good friend of mine did his apprenticeship in the body shop at Bromley Motor Works as it then was. He now works for Ferrari, so the training must have been good!

If you Google about a bit there are some wonderful period photos of the Chinese Garage knocking about.

Here you go:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/35286

Here's one that appealed to me:



Loving that Renault.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Garage

No mention of it being a BL garage in that wiki good time to tell them i suppose.

I love the history of this chinese garage! who'd have thought dealership could have such a cool and fascinating history!

Would be great to find some photo's of it as a BL dealership... and possibly a photo of any of the BL dealership stuff - rear window sticker,tax disc holder etc)

that renault! loving that

Rob

Now I reckon, to add to the authenticity of your car Rob - you add a thatched pagoda roof to it!

DoloWIGHTY wrote:Now I reckon, to add to the authenticity of your car Rob - you add a thatched pagoda roof to it!

That's bound to get people looking!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Chinese Garage, Beckenham

The Chinese Garage is a garage and former petrol station situated in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, on a roundabout linking Beckenham, Eden Park and Shortlands.

The garage was built in 1928 to a design by Edmund B. Clarke and built in the style of a Japanese pagoda

It looked fantastic in its heyday!

As a kid I lived in Biggin Hill, just outside Bromley. I haven't heard the Chinese Garage mentioned for decades. Fantastic!
Regards,
Richard

finding info about this is proving to be a rather difficult task to say the least.

I haven't been able to find any information of the "chinese garage" ever being a BL or triumph dealership. I phoned the peugeot dealership and asked if it was ever bl or triumph dealership to which they said no. However it was once a Rover dealership many years ago,but couldn't say when.

So... still not being too sure as to what to do next, I just checked with company house here's the search results on "the bromley motor works Ltd"


Name & Registered Office:
BROMLEY MOTOR WORKS LIMITED
150/164 UPPER ELMERS ROAD
BECKENHAM
KENT
BR3 3DZ
Company No. 00918108



Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 13/10/1967

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Company Type: Private Limited Company
Nature of Business (SIC):
7499 - Non-trading company
Accounting Reference Date: 31/12
Last Accounts Made Up To: 31/12/2010 (DORMANT)
Next Accounts Due: 30/09/2012
Last Return Made Up To: 24/04/2011
Next Return Due: 22/05/2012
Last Members List: 24/04/2011
Previous Names:
Date of change Previous Name
23/02/1984 RON STONEHAN FLEET SALES LIMITED

No matter what i search,the results seem VERY limited indeed!

I also checked in my little booklet of sales and service of triumph and this was printed in 1969 (The bromley motor works Ltd,Kent 1 wickham road) was setup and was a functioning company by 1967. The bromley motor works ltd has no mention in my booklet of dealerships and distributors the only dealerships in the beckenham area (dated 1969) are:

H.N.T. MOTORS LTD 81/83 HIGH STREET
SAUNDERS ABBOT LTD ALBERMALE ROAD
JOHN TWIGGS MOTORS LTD

the chinese garage was previously named "langley park garage" until 1989.
but no company under langley park garage can be found in company house - neither can chinese garage,just displays information about the chinese garage still being registered as a company building (due to peugeot dealership)

is it a possibility that "the bromley motor works ltd" were a contracted dealing company,that created sub contracts with other garages? eg main owner of the bromley works ltd had dealership by another name within the same area? bromley motor works not actually being a dealership,just a company name,which the vehicles were sold via another name ?

rob

Might be worth trying to make contact with past owners Rob, assuming they are still alive. It wouldn't surprise me that they would be all too happy to tell you a bit about the Dolly. I too have contacted previous owners of some of my Triumphs and with great success, only one former owner never responded. I think it is well worth the effort discovering more and more about a cars past.

Steve