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| WEB NEWS 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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In this issue of WHOTT Web News we take a brief at the Heaver Coach Builders and Whitshire Moonrakers |
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Heavers Coach Builders
- The small village of Durrington, just north of Amesbury on the
edge of Salisbury Plain was an unlikely place to find a coach
builder. In 1901its population was just 427 but twenty years later
had increased to 3005, caused mainly by the inclusion of Larkhill
camp, which contributed 2000 army personnel and their families. John
Heaver was born at Hammersmith in 1883, the son of a plate layer and
nephew of a coach trimmer. He started in the carriage trade aged 14,
working for George Peters whose business was in arches under the
Metropolitan Railway viaduct at Studland Street. In 1915, and now
married, John was drafted into the Army Service Corp at Bulford Camp
in Wiltshire. Here he remained throughout the 1914-18 war,
maintaining all types of military vehicles, including ambulances,
cars, lorries and steam tractors. Sadly his wife, Sophie, died in
1918, leaving him with three small children to bring up, so John’s
parents moved down from Hammersmith to help. His aunt and uncle
Abbot also moved to Durrington and together they worked hard to
build up John’s business of motor repairer and coach builder,
combining skills he had learned in London and in the army. By 1922
John had remarried and had a bungalow built in Bulford Road with a
workshop at the rear measuring approximately 116 ft x 55 ft.
Extensive advertising helped bring in orders for work and the first
large job came later the same year for a charabanc, thought to have
been for an Amesbury operator. This was the beginning of a long
production of bodies for numerous companies all over the country and
some to Africa.
In 2009 Peter Heaver, grandson of the founder, donated Heaver material to the WHOTT archive and from this we produce some idea this small business had in providing bodies for new vehicles or second bodies on existing vehicles for west country operators. The Heaver business finally shut down in 1957, with design materials passing to Reading Coach Builders of Portsmouth, who continued to supply some long established Heaver customers, such as the Guernsey Motors. Below is a view taken in the late ‘twenties of Heaver’s workshop with what looks like a Bentley tourer parked outside. As work increased, Heaver had larger premises built on the other side of the road in which double-decks could be accommodated. |
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| If you want to read the full story, and see all the pictures, then become a member and receive the quarterly newsletter. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Wiltshire
Moonrakers
- Trawling through the archive we have discovered some more gems
that solve one or two mysteries and at the same time raise more
queries, answers to which some of our readers may be able to help. |
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Would you like to see the full magazine? If so, please consider becoming a Member and we’ll send current year copies right away. Alternatively individual back numbers can be purchased at £2 each by request. Our Shop postal rates apply. |
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© Copyright The West Country Historic
Omnibus & Transport Trust |
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when enlarged. However, the fleet number 24 is clearly visible and
this correlates with Leyland TD1.70613 with Leyland L24/24RO body
and registration number MW4656 in the Swindon fleet. It is unusual
to have the word ‘Omnibuses’ displayed in such large lettering. The
vehicle stayed in Exeter two days and was then handed over to
Swindon brand new. Exeter didn’t purchase any Leyland TD1s until
1931, taking single-decks instead from Leyland, Bristol and Maudslay.
J
Crook & Sons of New Broughton Road, Melksham were coach and road
haulage operators and in October 1927 had in their fleet an AEC
chassis waiting for a new coach body. Two quotes were received from
Messrs Motor & Accessories Company of Waltham Green, London SW6, one
described as a 28 seater and the other a 28/32 seater. The option of
four extra of seats on the latter being accounted for by placing an
upholstered board across the centre gangway at £2 each! The
remaining seats in this vehicle were one seat either side of driver,
one tip-up by front entrance, four pairs of cross seats with centre
gangway, one 4-way seat adjacent to rear entrance, with a row of
five seats at the very back. The seats, all numbered, were to be
upholstered in semi-bucket fashion –ie with sprung backs, trimmed in
best quality leather, colour to match paint work, complete with
nickel plated ash trays and rug rails. Moquette carpet to be fitted
on backs of seats with leather on sides of body and door panels. A
polished mahogany waist rail fitted round inside of body with
mahogany dash with all fittings incorporated in same. The floor to
be covered in linoleum. All this could be had for £475 providing the
AEC chassis was delivered within three weeks and a one third deposit
paid. If hire purchase terms were preferred, the one third deposit
would still apply and the balance paid over twelve months at 7%
interest. The quote for the 28-seater version was the same price
with no mention of occasional seats but having a hammered dash and
Van den Plas front wings. Other details described the type of hood
and its mechanism, pointing out that it was worm driven and not
chain. 
