Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    Z1310
  • Title
    Edmund Smith & Son, Shefford Garage
  • Date free text
    c. 1920 - 1990
  • Production date
    From: 1920 To: 1990
  • Admin/biog history
    The following information was provided by the depositor in October 2007: BACKGROUND Edmund Smith was born in 1886 and spent his early life in the Newcastle-on-Tyne area. He trained as an engineer with the Armstrong Company. On the outbreak of World War 1 he joined the Royal Flying Corps, the predecessor of the RAF and served at Pont–de-L'Arche near Rouen in northern France, in the Engine Repair section. After the war he stayed in the RAF for about 5 years, transferring to RAF Henlow. FOUNDING OF THE GARAGE Edmund founded the garage in October 1923, on leaving the RAF. He purchased some land next to the blacksmith's in Clifton Road, Shefford and bought half a corrugated iron building from the RAF. (The other half was bought by a Mr Mantle who also started a garage in the area). With the number of vehicles increasing at that time, Edmund saw a need to provide garage services, which, as an engineer, he was qualified to do. This was the first garage in Shefford but there were no petrol pumps to begin with as petrol was sold in 2 gallon cans prior to the introduction of pumps around 1926. THE GARAGE PRE-WAR In 1928 the garage moved to the old Shefford Brewery site at the junction of Ivel Road and Clifton Road, which is where it remained until it closed in 1990. The site included Brewery Villa on the corner, a house of some antiquity which had been a public house. It was renamed Seaton Cottage and used as a residence by members of the Smith family. The fuel pumps were transferred to the new premises from the Clifton Road site. Edmund built up the business during the 1930s and the garage became a Morris dealer, with vehicles supplied by George Langley of Bedford. Soon the garage needed to employ a couple of staff to help with the volume of business. In addition to undertaking motor sales and repairs, the garage provided a taxi service for the local community. One of the garage's customers was rally driver Mr. T. Abel Smith [of Woodhall, Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire] and in 1938 Edmund accompanied him as his co-driver in the Monte Carlo rally. THE SECOND WORLD WAR During the war, the volume of business fell away considerably, as might be expected. However, there was sufficient work, including farm vehicle repairs, to enable the garage to continue in business. At this time Edmund Smith was the local commander of the Home Guard for Shefford, whose HQ was the garage's office. THE GARAGE POST-WAR TO 1973 After the war the garage’s business continued along pre- war lines. In 1948, Edmund's son Colin joined the business and he worked alongside his father until Edmund died in 1973. Colin was born in Shefford (at 'Throgmorton' on Clifton Road) in 1924 and trained at Rolls-Royce in Derby as an engineer, like his father. During World War 2 his work for Rolls-Royce was classed as a reserved occupation. Immediately after the war he was called up for National Service and he joined the garage once this was completed. THE GARAGE FROM 1973 TO ITS CLOSURE Colin took over the running of the garage after his father's death and from this point he was assisted by his elder brother, Arthur, a retired master mariner. Arthur dealt with the office work, leaving Colin free to deal with the motor business. For much of this period the garage employed three staff but the motor sales business was not developed and only the occasional new vehicle was sold. By 1990, Colin had reached retirement age, Arthur was well into his seventies and the decision was taken to sell the garage. It was purchased as a development site but remained undeveloped for several years. Eventually it was sold on and blocks of flats have now been built over the whole site, including Seaton Cottage. Only the old Shefford Brewery building remains, converted to residential accommodation. Colin Smith October 2007
  • Scope and Content
    The deposited material includes ledgers and photographs of Shefford Garage, as well as a few items relating to units of the Home Guard, including Shefford and Campton's, during the Second World War. All but one of the photographs have been deposited solely in electronic form; please see the online catalogue to view. The account ledgers have loose items interleaved, which must be kept in the pages where they are found. Some of the ephemera amongst the pages of the first ledger includes advertisements (all on blotter-paper) for various automotive suppliers such as Pirelli, Mobil and Godfrey Holmes, Ltd. There is also a flyer for a mission endeavour by 'A Team of Richmond College Students [London University]' hosted by the Shefford Methodist Church from 30 March to 6 April, year unspecified (c. 1950). The Whitbreads were long-time customers of the garage both for their cars and their estate machinery; Samuel H. Whitbread's motorcars seemed to keep the garage fairly busy in the early years. The Smiths attended to personal and business vehicles alike, and amongst the customers that figure in the first ledger were the St. Francis Home (Shefford), the 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Home Guard, Shefford Hand Laundry, Shefford Gravel Co. and Biggleswade Rural District Council.
  • Archival history
    Records deposited by Colin Oliver Smith in October 2007.
  • Level of description
    fonds
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