Reference
Z302
Title
Photographs and other records relating to Nicholls and Sons Ltd, motor engineers of St. Mary’s Square and Cauldwell Street, Bedford. Gift from a former Managing Director of the Company, Mr. C Foskee Abraham, 1977
Date free text
1890 - 1950
Production date
From: 1890 To: 1950
Admin/biog history
In 1860 William Henry Nicholls (1838-1906) came to Bedford from Liverpool and secured employment as spring maker and coach smith with Bedford Carriage and Harness Manufactory at St. Mary’s Square. This was an established business and at the time owned by Deane and Son. Some years later, he left the firm and set up business in Cauldwell Street at “The Wheatsheaf”, roughly 300 yards away from the premises of his former employer. The business in Cauldwell Street prospered and additional premises were acquired in nearby Holmes Street. During this period, his second son Harry (1872-1930) was taught the trade, and continued in business with his father under the name of Nicholls and Son. As the business progressed William Henry’s eldest son William (1867-1929) came into the business, firstly in a part-time capacity and later full time. He went on to become Mayor of Bedford.
By 1896 the business had outgrown the premises in Cauldwell Street and Holme Street so a plot of land in Melchbourne Street was rented from the London and North Western Railway Company at £20.0s.0d per annum, on which more spacious and convenient workshops were built. Fourteen years later, many changes had taken place; William Henry had died and his son Harry had left the business to continue as publican of “The Wheatsheaf”. William went into partnership with his son, William Ernest, known as Will (1889-1961), who had served his apprenticeship with the firm.
In 1911, the firm purchased the business of Bedford Carriage Works (as it was then named) at St. Mary’s Square from Mr Deane. Whilst the Melchbourne Street premises were retained for the wheelwright section of the business, the offices were moved to the newly acquired central premises in St. Mary’s Square. For many years the works rebuilt carriages for the local Nobility and Gentry and provided Broughams and Landaus for use of the High Sheriffs of the day. Gradually more emphasis was placed on the motor car and a coach built body section was a natural next step from horse drawn vehicles. A repair shop and machine shop were added, the latter being placed in charge of the maternal grandfather of Will, Eli Dracup (1838-1928). The old man was a highly skilled engineer and maintained the same high standard of workmanship as that in the coachbuilding craft; this formed a solid foundation for the company.
In 1919, Alfred Leonard Nicholls, known as Fred, (1895-1966) joined the business. He was the youngest brother of Will. He had served four years in France and Belgium during the First World War with the Mechanical Transport Section of the Royal Army Service Corps where he was commissioned in the field and later awarded the Military Cross. Like his father he became Mayor of Bedford and in 1960 was made a Freeman of the Borough, an honour seldom conferred.
More space for the repair of motor vehicles was required and in 1919 the “Shepherd and Dog” public house, 14 Cauldwell Street, was purchased. The building was pulled down and a new workshop built, this was provided with an extra strong floor to take the heaviest known lorries of the day. This extension soon proved to be inadequate and in 1925 “The Angel” public house next door was purchased. The licence for “The Angel” was transferred to new premises in Elstow Road, and further extension to the workshop was erected by Samuel (1877-1937); the third son of William Henry, who was a builder. Both these workshops were on the opposite side of the road to the St. Mary’s Square premises and over the years became increasingly difficult to operate efficiently. During 1928 the business was incorporated under the title of Nicholls and Sons Ltd. In 1937 Mr C. Foskee Abraham was engaged as Personal Assistant to Will Nicholls and by 1977 had become the Managing Director of the Company. Mr Kenneth Ernest Nicholls, son of Will, was on the Board of Directors as was Mr E Nightingale.
The war period of 1939 to 1945 was difficult but throughout this time the company continued as vehicle repairers and retained clients who were permitted to run vehicles. Up to the outbreak of war they had prided themselves on the old fashioned idea of “any make of car or lorry supplied”, and they had dealerships for a variety of makes, among them Swift, Briton, Daimler, Lanchester, Citroen, Singer, Armstrong Sidley, Cubitt and Bean cars, Thorneycroft and Morris commercial lorries. After the war the rear portion of the premises at St. Mary’ Square was pulled down and replaced with a modern building with a single roof span. The difficulty of stocking spares and servicing a large range of vehicles forced consideration of more specialisation and an agreement was entered into with the Rootes Group for the distribution of their products. From 1st January 1949 they handled these exclusively. This was considered a big step forward, it was a sellers’ market and all was well on the face of things, but the premises which had been acquired piecemeal proved totally unsuited to modern needs of an ever growing motoring public. The complete rebuilding of the St. Mary’s Square site was considered but rejected.
In 1961, the Share Capital of the business was sold to R. Dutton-Forshaw and Son Ltd. When Bedfordshire County Council informed them later that year that the premises were required for an extension to Mander College nearby, it was decided to accept an offer of a new site adjoining that in which William Henry started the business nearly 100 years before. Several schemes for the new garage in Kingsway were examined but it was not until March 1967 that the work on building the most up to date garage in the district was started. The workshops on the site of the two pubs were kept for a little while longer to enable the garage to deal with the increasing demand for Commer and Dodge trucks and the servicing of them. All the buildings on St. Mary’s Square, aside from the Grade II listed house were pulled down in 1968 and the Cauldwell Street workshops were demolished in the 1980s.
The Nicholls garage lasted a further decade before ceasing trading in the 1980s. The site of the garage as replaced by a block of housing association flats called The Horseshoe in 2000.
The main garage premises:
The Wheatsheaf, 36 Cauldwell Street (carriage works), c.1880 - 1896
Melchbourne Street (carriage and body works). 1896 - 1911
St. Mary’s Square, 1911 - 1967
Kingsway, west side as Nicholls and Sons Ltd, 1968 - 1980
Kingsway, east side as Forshaw Automobiles Ltd, 1969 - 1980
Scope and Content
In 1860 William Henry Nicholls (1838-1906) came to Bedford from Liverpool and secured employment as spring maker and coach smith with Bedford Carriage and Harness Manufactory at St. Mary’s Square. This was a very old established business and at the time owned by Deane and Son. Some years later, he left the firm and set up business in Cauldwell Street at “The Wheatsheaf”, roughly 300 yards away from the premises of his former employer. The business in Cauldwell Street prospered and additional premises were acquired in nearby Holmes Street. During this period, his second son Harry (1872-1930) was taught the trade, and continued in business with his father under the name of Nicholls and Son. As the business progressed William Henry’s eldest son William (1867-1929) came into the business, firstly in a part-time capacity and later full time. He went on to become Mayor of Bedford.
By 1896 the business had outgrown the premises in Cauldwell Street and Holme Street so a plot of land in Melchbourne Street was rented from the London and North Western Railway Company at £20.0s.0d per annum, on which more spacious and convenient workshops were built. Fourteen years later, many changes had taken place; William Henry had died and his son Harry had left the business to continue as publican of “The Wheatsheaf”. William went into partnership with his son, William Ernest (1889-1961), who had served his apprenticeship with the firm. During this phase, the horseless carriage was accepted as a means of transport and William Ernest concentrated on catering for them in spite of the disapproval of his father.
In 1911, the firm purchased the business of Bedford Carriage Works (as it was then named) at St. Mary’s Square from Mr Deane. Whilst the Melchbourne Street premises were retained for the wheelwright section of the business, the offices were moved to the newly acquired central premises in St. Mary’s Square. For many years the works rebuilt carriages for the local Nobility and Gentry and provided Broughams and Landaus for use of the High Sheriffs of the day. Gradually more emphasis was placed on the motor car and a coach built body section was a natural next step from horse drawn vehicles. A repair shop and machine shop were added, the latter being placed in charge of the maternal grandfather of William Ernest, Eli Dracup (1838-1928). The old man was a highly skilled engineer and maintained the same high standard of workmanship as that in the coachbuilding craft; this formed a solid foundation for the company.
In 1919, Alfred Leonard Nicholls, known as Fred, (1895-1966) joined the business. He was the youngest brother of William Ernest. He had served four years in France and Belgium during the First World War with the Mechanical Transport Section of the Royal Army Service Corps where he was commissioned in the field and later awarded the Military Cross. Like his father he became Mayor of Bedford and in 1960 was made a Freeman of the Borough, an honour seldom conferred.
More space for the repair of motor vehicles was required and in 1919 the “Shepherd and Dog” public house, 14 Cauldwell Street, was purchased. The building was pulled down and a new workshop built, this was provided with an extra strong floor to take the heaviest known lorries of the day. This extension soon proved to be inadequate and in 1925 “The Angel” public house next door was purchased. The licence for “The Angel” was transferred to new premises in Elstow Road, and further extension to the workshop was erected by Samuel (1877-1937); the third son of William Henry, who was a builder. Both these workshops were on the opposite side of the road to the St. Mary’s Square premises and over the years became increasingly difficult to operate efficiently. During 1928 the business was incorporated under the title of Nicholls and Sons Ltd. In 1937 Mr C.F Abraham was engaged as Personal Assistant to William Ernest Nicholls and by 1977 had become the Managing Director of the Company. Mr Kenneth Ernest Nicholls, son of William Ernest, was on the Board of Directors as was Mr E Nightingale.
The war period of 1939 to 1945 was difficult but throughout this time the company continued as vehicle repairers and retained clients who were permitted to run vehicles. Up to the outbreak of war they had prided themselves on the old fashioned idea of “any make of car or lorry supplied”, and they had dealerships for a variety of makes, among them Swift, Briton, Daimler, Lanchester, Citroen, Singer, Armstrong Sidley, Cubitt and Bean cars, Thorneycroft and Morris commercial lorries. After the war the rear portion of the premises at St. Mary’ Square was pulled down and replaced with a modern building with a single roof span. The difficulty of stocking spares and servicing a large range of vehicles forced consideration of more specialisation and an agreement was entered into with the Rootes Group for the distribution of their products. From 1st January 1949 they handled these exclusively. This was considered a big step forward, it was a sellers’ market and all was well on the face of things, but the premises which had been acquired piecemeal proved totally unsuited to modern needs of an ever growing motoring public. The complete rebuilding of the St. Mary’s Square site was considered but rejected.
In 1961, the Share Capital of the business was sold to R. Dutton-Forshaw and Son Ltd. When Bedfordshire County Council informed them later that year that the premises were required for an extension to Mander College nearby, it was decided to accept an offer of a new site adjoining that in which William Henry started the business nearly 100 years before. Several schemes for the new garage in Kingsway were examined but it was not until March 1967 that the work on building the most up to date garage in the district was started. The workshops on the site of the two pubs were kept for a little while longer to enable the garage to deal with the increasing demand for Commer and Dodge trucks and the servicing of them.
Level of description
fonds