Author Archives: Wade

Veteran Car : Benz Ideal 4.5 hp reg P3518

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This car was bought by Mr F.E. Manning, Mitcham Park, in the mid 1950s. He was a director of Allen Bros garage. It had a fairly good engine, which he stripped down and rebuilt. He and his son worked on rebuilding the rest of the car. They took drawings from another Benz and made components as near as possible to the original.

clip from Merton Memories, photo reference Mit_Transport_26-2 showing Mr Fenning working on the car

They entered the London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally in 1957.

clip from Merton Memories, photo reference Mit_​Transport_​26-2, copyright London Borough of Merton

In this article from 1959, his son didn’t go with him on the rally.

Veteran run

For the third year running Mr F.E. Manning has driven his 1900 Benz over the finishing line in the annual veteran car run to Brighton. And this year he got back to his home in Mitcham Park in time to see himself on the television newsreel.

Although breaking no records for the run, Mr Manning bowled along merrily in his black and primrose car (with solid tyres), crossing the finishing line at 2.30 p.m. with plenty of time to spare.

“Traffic was very heavy,” Mr Manning told me, “so we could not record any spectacular time. But we only stopped once en route and that was for lunch, The car behave perfectly all the way.”

Mr Manning’s 17-year-old son Butch did not go with him this year. “I think he got fed up with getting soaked through on the two previous runs. But we were very lucky as the weather was good this year,” Mr Manning added.

Source: Mitcham News & Mercury 6th November, 1959

Restored again in 2006/7 the car was sold at Bonhams auction in February 2017 for around £105,000.

1936/7 Nalder & Collyer’s sale to Ind Coope

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Brewery Distribution

An unusual linking of brewery interest is brought to notice by an announcement to-day from Nalder & Collyer’s Brewery Co. (Ltd.) This Company has a capital of £660,000 in £130,000 Ordinary and £530,000 Preference shares. Practically all the Ordinary and 90 per cent, of the Preference are held by the City of London Brewery and Investment Trust (Ltd.) This latter, now mainly an investment trust, has a considerable holding in Ind Coope & Allsopp (Ltd.) and also an indirect interest in Ind Coope through Nalder & Collyer, which in March last year sold a number of its properties to Ind Coope & Allsopp (Ltd.) for a total consideration of £2,200,353, paid partly in cash and partly in Ind Coope Debentures, Preference, and Ordinary stocks.

The directors of Nalder & Collyer are now going to distribute part of the Ind Coope Ordinary to the Company’s Ordinary shareholders and the bulk of these shares will of course go to the City of London Brewery and Investment Trust (Ltd.) For every £10 Nalder & Collyer Ordinary will be given £2 of Ind Coope Ordinary, making the total distribution £26,000 nominal, worth at the current market price £162,500. Accompanying this announcement is a final dividend of 20 per cent plus a 10 per cent cash bonus, making, with the interim of 25 per cent., a total of 55 per cent, as before, which of course also goes mainly to the controlling company. There is a free market in City of London Brewery 5s Deferred Ordinary units now standing around 20s. a price which indicates long-standing hopes of a capital bonus. Last year’s dividend was only 6 per cent. The next accounts are to June 30 next and are due in July.

Source: The Scotsman – Friday 07 May 1937 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)

Nalder & Collyer owned the Horse and Groom, Kings Head (later Burn Bullock), Ravensbury Arms, Three Kings, Swan, Windmill.