sps1955's photos with the keyword: 1950s

Showing the 4-cylinder horizontally opposed ("flat-four") engine - all Jowetts, from the first production vehicle in 1913 to the last in 1954, had horizontally opposed 2- or 4-cylinder engines, offering what the firm called "Balanced power" . The Jupiter was current from 1950-1954; the DVLA lists this as a 1959 car, presumably because it was re-registered in that year for some reason.

My mother caught by surprise by my father's camera amidst the paraphernalia of a self-catering holiday with the infant sps1955 - my soft toys can be seen on the bunk in the background. Additional information about the caravan itself is here . Scanned from a print in the family collection.

With an infant sps1955. On the village, which was constructed in 1936-40 and is Grade II-listed, see www.themodelvillage.com/index.html and list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1413021 .

Probably built in 1957 or shortly after as the planning history of the site appears to begin with a 1957 application. Somewhat spoilt by alterations and replacement windows, but it seemed worth recording, especially as, when I took the photo, it was standing empty after being sold, and I could foresee an application to replace it with a larger house or houses. In the event, it was let, but my instincts were correct as, in May 2013, the garage was demolished preparatory to building a small extension on that side, together with a large two-storey extension behind: plans at plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/MediaTemp/1126904-435025.pdf .

On my parents' drive at Telford Avenue, Leamington Spa. I was told that, after one holiday in a hotel with the infant sps1955, they decided never to repeat the experience, and bought the caravan second-hand. This must have been c.1957. My memory is that the caravan was a Bailey, in which case it cannot have been all that old when they bought it (the Bailey company had been founded in 1948: www.bailey-aboutus.co.uk/ ); however, it was kept until 1974, by which time it was something of an antique. I can recall only once seeing one like it and, indeed, I can't find photographs of any Bailey like it on the web, so I hope that the identification of it as a Bailey is correct. Any further information on the design or its history would be very welcome!

The interior of my parents' Bailey caravan , with an infant sps1955 and a collection of toy cars on the table that appropriately includes a caravan. Note also the one inch Ordnance Survey maps next to the rolls on the drop down flap in the foreground. The plate rack over the sink was, I think, my father's handiwork.

The Austin was the first car that my father bought new. The caravan was bought second-hand c.1957. The car had 42 b.h.p. and towing the caravan into the West Country and Wales was, I think, "interesting". Although the car has been lined up with the caravan and is carrying its extended wing mirrors for towing, we are not ready for the off, as the waste water bucket for the caravan sink is still in position in front of the wheel and, behind it, the Calor Gas cylinder appears still to be connected. A young sps1955 is visible, and, just to my left, my mother's corgi is sitting behind the car. Unknown location. Scanned from a print in the family collection.

My parents' Austin A40 Somerset and Bailey 14 ft caravan to right of centre, with a Jaguar and a larger and more modern caravan to the left. Ford Anglia 100E beside the tent in the foreground. Unknown location. Scanned from a print in the family collection.

The Austin was the first car that my father bought new. The caravan was bought second-hand c.1957. The car had 42 b.h.p. and towing the caravan into the West Country and Wales was, I think, "interesting". Unknown location. Scanned from a print in the family collection.

Scanned from a print. Probably early 1950s - the cars at the right-hand end of the forecourt are identifiable on the original as an Austin A40 Somerset or A70 Hereford and an A40 Devon-based pickup. The car entering the forecourt looks like a Citroën Traction Avant. See set page for the history of the business.

Scanned from a print in the family collection. The car in the showroom is an Austin A40 Somerset, current from 1952-4. Other cars, from left to right, and mostly older, are: Vauxhall ( Preston area registration from 1946-8 ); Morris 10 series M (leaving the forecourt; 1944-6 London registration ); Bentley (having its windscreen wiped); Citroën Traction Avant (being filled with petrol and looking very clean - I wondered if it might be the garage demonstrator, but the registration looks like DVL10, a Lincoln-issued plate which, astonishingly, still (28 Feb. 2012) belongs to a Citroën first registered in June 1949, so it was not particularly new when this photo was taken; according to the DVLA database, it has a 1911cc engine, so is probably a Traction 11BL (or "Light 15" in English parlance) ; Standard (perhaps; the front is obscured by the Citroën); What I think is a Rover P2 or P3 with the less familiar 4-light "Sports Saloon" body (in Hamilton Road, only the rear visible; cf. i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh90/1947rover/Tilly5.jpg ). The pumps are now all branded "Esso", in contrast to the variety on offer in 1939 . See set page for the history of the business.

Scanned from a print. The car on the far right is an Austin A35, launched in 1956. It is just possible to make out that the car behind it is a Citroën DS or ID. The signs indicate that the garage still held the Citroën agency which was relinquished in 1962 (according to research carried out by Stephen Dodsworth in the Lincolnshire Echo and published in the Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society 's Conrod magazine, Winter 2015). If anyone can see further clues as to the date, I would be glad to know. The car at the left-hand end of the forecourt looks like an immediate pre- or post-World War II model, but this does not help much with the dating, as such cars survived in daily use into the 1960s - indeed, my godmother, who lived opposite, kept the Morris 10 that she had bought just before the war until 1972. See set page for the history of the business.