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Friday 31 October 2014

Hungerford Arcade The Bentley Boys

Hungerford Arcade is very proud to publish this fascinating article written by our very own Stuart Miller-Osborne.  I always look forward to Stuart's stories very much and I am sure a lot of you out there in Blog Land do as well. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
Rita




The Bentley Boys 

One of the joys of living in this corner of West Berkshire is that frequently ones sees a vintage car pass on one of the local roads. The driver is open to the air as the car glides without effort towards its destination. Most people pause for a moment to witness the beauty of the machine. It is inbuilt in us, we all  like witnessing the machines of yesteryear in fine working order, whether it be a steam train crossing the bridge at Hungerford or a vintage car on the road.  

In these days of high performance cars I believe that for some of us the actual thrill of driving along the open road has been diluted and given the chance we would all like to drive a vintage car. Imagine the thrill of driving through the Savernake Forest with its peculiar geography and arriving in Marlborough for tea and buttered scones, whilst looking out of the window at your machine parked proudly in the island on the main street. 

Unfortunately, many of us do not have pockets deep enough to be able to experience this first hand, but we can buy framed prints and old photographs of these machines to place on our walls. In most antique shops and arcades one will find these pictures, which are well worth collecting. They are usually representations of a racing car at speed with the driver in a white helmet. The background is blurred and sometimes you are informed of who the driver was and maybe the event represented.

In these days of hi-tech formula one racing one feels an immediate nostalgia for these brave pioneers, many of who died young in their early machines. But what of these men who risked life and limb in the first three decades of the twentieth century? 


Tim Birkin with
Malcolm Campbell
My father mentioned The Bentley Boys when he took me to a race meeting when I was quite young and I remembered these men without really knowing too much about them. That was until about twenty years ago when I came across a framed photograph of a certain Tim Birkin (1896-1933) who was one of these famous Bentley Boys. It was then I decided to research the history of these drivers.

In the 1920s it was quite expensive to run a car (nothing has changed you may say) and to race one was even more demanding on ones finances. The Bentley Boys were a bunch of enthusiasts who were not by any means on the breadline. They were to some extent the bright young things of the era. Anybody who has read Evelyn Waugh will recognise the type of person. This is not to say they were dilettantes, they were deadly serious about their pursuits. 

They were called The Bentley Boys because obviously they drove the famous Bentley car. As with now the Bentley was a car with a reputation for high performance and reliability. You paid for what you drove and this was what the marque represented. In 1925 after various problems the Bentley brand ran into problems and probably the most famous of The Bentley Boys, Woolf Barnato (1895-1948) purchased the company and in time developed the memorable Bentley Blower car.

The company which was based in Cricklewood and with its dedication and innovation, led to four consecutive wins at the 24 Hour Le Mans race between 1927 and 1930. The main competitor, the Italian Bugatti, which was much more lightweight and fragile, was no match for the more rugged Bentley’s which, as my researches indicate, were sometimes called “ The worlds fastest lorries”. 

In the early 1930s there were the Blue Train Races between cars and the Le Train Bleu which took place between Calais and the French Riviera some 750 miles apart. Woolf in March 1930 actually raced the Blue Train from Cannes to Calais  and won and in time the Blue Train Bentleys were developed and sold.  But as with F Scott Fitzgerald’s novels set in the South of France and Waugh’s main characters the good times were not going to last forever. The depression that hit the world in the 1930s soon hit the demand for the Bentley cars which were never that cheap in first place and in time the company was sold to Rolls Royce. 

There were a number of Bentley Boys apart from Woolf, one of these was Clive Dunfree (1904-1932) who was sadly killed in a spectacular crash at Brooklands which I believe was recorded on the newsreel of the time. He was married to the actress Jane Baxter (1909-1996) who was of the leading lights of the British cinema in the 1930s. It was all very glamorous in what was a dour decade. 

Another was Tim Birkin who raced at Brooklands a few times as well as Le Mans which he won in 1931 in a Alfa Romeo (He actually received a telegram of congratulation from Mussolini at the time). Tim actually raced John Cobb (1899-1952) at Brooklands as the result of a wager. This is commemorated in a painting by the artist Terence Cuneo.


Kidston - Autocar 1931
I did not purchase the photograph of Tim Birkin but wish I had as I knew my father would have been very interested at the time. The well known Glen Kidston (1899-1931) was another member of The Bentley Boys who was known for his racing and other exploits, if you want to see a more comprehensive list of The Bentley Boys then the internet has plenty of information and has helped me in my researches.  

One of the many family holidays I took as a child was to Pendine Sands in Wales. As many of us know, this is a vast stretch of beach (some seven miles long). I can remember walking with my father on the beach one day and he told me that a racing car was buried under the sands after a fatal accident many years ago. He really did not elaborate but the subject fascinated me especially after reading an article in a motoring magazine some years later. I was aware that the sands had been used as the venue for car and motorcycle races since the beginning of the 20th century but what I did not realise was that it was also the venue for attempts at the world land speed record and this lead to the burial of the machine.  


Babs
The driver in question was John Godfrey Parry-Thomas (1884-1927) as with The Bentley Boys, he had connections with Brooklands but here the similarities ended. Unlike the Bentley clan he lived a very quiet life but still won over thirty races in five or so seasons. But Parry-Thomas was looking beyond that at the world land speed record. He developed a car named Babs which he took to Pendine Sands and on the 28th April 1926 achieved over 170 mph a speed record which stood for nearly a year. 

Bluebird World Land
Speed Record 1927
His great rival was Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948). Soon Campbell reached 174 mph in his famous Bluebird. This lead to an attempt on the 3rd March 1927 by Parry - Thomas. Sadly due to a mechanical fault Babs crashed and killed Parry-Thomas. This was the final attempt at speed records on Pendine Sands. Babs was buried in the dunes near the village of Pendine and remained there until 1969 (some two or three years after our previous visit) when Owen Wyn Owen a restorer and mechanic recovered the wreck.

J G Parry-Thomas
As you would think Babs was in a terrible state after being buried for some forty two years. But with a great deal of effort and dedication Babs was rebuilt and was actually driven again. Babs can be seen at the Pendine Museum of Speed and at times at the Brooklands museum. I have not yet seen her but look forward to meeting her when I am next in the area.

I have already noted that you can quite easily find racing memorabilia in antique shops and arcades. Apart from framed prints and photographs, these men also I believe, appeared on cigarette cards and maybe postcards. I do not really collect these as I have more of a nostalgic interest than an actual interest in motor racing. As with a number of people, I like to see the ships, trains, aeroplanes and cars of previous years. I also like the supposed romance of the era and when thinking about these things it brings back memories of those times spent at Pendine Sands with my father and the long forgotten race meetings we occasionally attended.
Stuart Miller-Osborne

For all the latest news, go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk


Sunday 26 October 2014

Hungerford Arcade Military Vehicles help Poppy Appeal

MILITARY VEHICLES DISPLAY

Outside

HUNGERFORD ARCADE

On

SUNDAY, 2nd NOVEMBER 2014

In aid of the Poppy Appeal

Military Vehicles and the Hungerford Cubs will be outside Hungerford Arcade next Sunday, 2nd November, helping to raise much needed money for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Please come along, see these wonderful old vehicles, chat to the owners and give your support and help them raise lots of money for our brave service men and women who made such big sacrifices in WW1, WW2 and all the conflicts that have gone on and are still going on in the world today.







Lest we forget 


Monday 20 October 2014

Hungerford Arcade Hot Forge Day

Another fabulous weekend at Hungerford Arcade.  Saturday, we had the Literary Festival with Julian Rota (see separate blog).  On Sunday, we had the Hot Forge Day with Andover Forge, owned by David Hemsley.  The forge is a local metal work business.  They work mainly with steel in the forging, welding and traditional Blacksmith business.  
Rita 


David teaching Alex
Alex is getting on brilliantly

Alex with the completed poker
WOW!!!
For all the latest news, go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk

Hungerford Arcade The Trouble With Authors

JULIAN ROTA
The Trouble with Authors:
Modern Manuscripts
Letters & Literary Archives



What a fabulous evening we had at Hungerford Arcade with Julian Rota, a fifth generation bookseller managing the family firm, Bertram Rota Ltd which was established in 1923 having had a succession of bookshops in London. The firm deals in antiquarian books of all kinds but specialises particularly in Modern First Editions.  

The company has a rich history of handling literary and archives, selling to national libraries, universities and other august institutions.  The list is endless. Many people came to meet Julian at the Arcade and had a very interesting chat over a nice glass of wine. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the talk given by Julian, lifting the lid on dealing with authors and their literary archives.  Which was very amusing. Afterwards, Julian was very pleased to value the antiquarian books people brought along for him to see.
Arcade Manager, Alex Rogers
with Julian Roth
Rita  

For all the latest news, go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk









Saturday 18 October 2014

Hungerford Food Festival!



The Food Festival in Hungerford is always a roaring success and this year was no different.  Stalls line the Marketplace with fresh produce being cooked, stewed, sliced, squeezed and most importantly sampled by yours truly.

The freshly pressed apple juice is always my favourite, but the smell from the outdoor barbecue was enough to make your mouth water.

It took me quite a long time to walk the short distance from the front door of The Arcade to the Town Hall due to the sheer number of people in the crowd. 
The town hall was filled fit to bursting with interesting stalls, including local honey producers and grow your own mushroom kits to take home.
  The Market Place was completely packed and nobody went away disappointed.  The food was delicious, the stallholders were friendly and the weather was fantastic!

We also had the pleasure of some familiar faces from the Farmers Market selling their lovely fresh vegetables and cheeses.
I tried my luck at the “Guess The Weight of The Pumpkin” game.  My guess was 6st 6lb.  How far off do you think I was?  Needless to say, I didn’t win.


Thank you to all the people that got up early in the morning to set up the stalls and stay late at night taking them down again.  Thank you to the stallholders and local producers for sharing your lovely food with us and thank you to all that came and made it a brilliant day out!
If you missed it this time around and are kicking yourself, no doubt the Food Fest will be back, same time, same place next year.  I certainly can’t wait! 

Alex

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Hungerford Arcade-HMS Protector


Arcade co-owner, Adrian Gilmour, is a big fan of anything to do with the navy. Ships in bottles, model ships, naval paintings, prints and sculptures.  So when AB HM Ollie Friend came into the Arcade to buy a lovely Ercol table for his dining room, he immediately hit it off with Adrian by telling us about his fantastic job aboard HMS Protector – an Antarctic ice breaker and survey ship. 

Ollie left for his post at the beginning of October and will be there until January 2015, patrolling the South Atlantic and Antarctic Peninsula.

In less than a year, Protector has seen a fair share of action, tackling a blaze at a research station in the Shetlands and delivering hundreds of tons of fuel to another station south of Cape Horn.  She has also taken part in training exercises in the Caribbean.  


We wish Ollie and all of the crew aboard HMS Protector the best of luck for the next few months.
Alex Rogers

For all the latest news, go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk




Hungerford Arcade Hungerford Literary Festival


For all the latest news, go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk

Monday 13 October 2014

Hungerford Arcade Hot Forge Day

      HOT FORGE DAY
            SUNDAY, 19th OCTOBER 2014


 We are very proud and excited to have Blacksmith, Dave and his Hot Forge outside Hungerford Arcade this Sunday, 19th October.  Established in 1989 in East Sussex and relocated in 1999 to North Hampshire, Andover forge is now based in Andover.  The Forge has a modern approach to the oldest method of making things from wrought iron and mild steel.

Dave will be arriving outside the Arcade early Sunday morning enabling him to set up his forge and get it fired up for the day.  He will be bringing along some of the fabulous items that he has made and you will also see how he makes them. This will be a great day out for everyone so come along and watch a fabulous old tradition. 
Rita

For all the latest news, go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk






Monday 6 October 2014

Hungerford Arcade BBC Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Catherine with manager, Alex Rogers
What a fabulous day we had at Hungerford Arcade when the BBC arrived with antiques expert, Catherine Southon. They had come to film Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.  This is the show where two antiques experts use their own money to buy items from an auction, car boot sale and antique shops/centres and are pitted against one another to 
Catherine with me (Rita)
see who can make the most profit which then goes to charity.  

Catherine with Stallholder, Pete Marsh

For all the latest news go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk



Friday 3 October 2014

Hungerford Arcade Great Mosaics

Artist, Jane Skingley made a surprise visit to Hungerford Arcade looking for broken china to make mosaics.  Jane is famous for her oil paintings but also loves mosaics. Of course, we obliged and Jane was thrilled with her collection.  

Jane Skingley paints seascapes and landscapes in oils. Her first exhibition was a sell out and since then she has gone from strength to strength exhibiting in galleries and art shows all over the country. In 2008 her work was selected from a long list of hopefuls to be exhibited at the summer season at the prestigious Glyndebourne Opera House.

Jane’s mainly large scale paintings focus on the mood evoked by the sea. She says: “I spent much of my childhood sailing around the British coast which remains my inspiration. I now enjoy pottering by the sea with my children, crabbing, rock pooling and making sandcastles at our family beach hut in the Witterings or indeed anywhere by the sea".

For more about Jane and her fabulous oil paintings, go to her website at www.janeskingley.com


9-12 October
Cambridge City Art Fair























For all the latest news, go to our Newsletter at www.hungerfordarcade.co.uk