Tag Archives: 1958

Allen Bros (Mitcham), Ltd.

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360/364 London Road

Car sales and repair business that was the on west side of London Road, south of the White Hart pub and on the north side of the corner with Broadway Gardens.

Being a Austin Rover dealer they did a repair on my Rover 3.5 in 1984:

13th November 1984 invoice for repairs to a Rover 3.5

89th February 1985 receipt

The garage also rented cars:

part of rental agreement dated 17th May 1985

Clip from Merton Memories photo, copyright London Borough of Merton.

The site was used by KwikFit for a number of years, as seen in this 2008 Google StreetView:

These aerial views are from Bing:

kwikfit-to-north

kwikfit-to-south

The site was bought by a property developer who wanted to build a block of flats. With the KwikFit signage removed, parts of the original words used by Allen Bros could be seen.

September 2014

September 2014

September 2014. Allen Bros (Mitcham) can just be seen revealed after KwikFit signage was removed.

September 2014. Allen Bros (Mitcham) can just be seen revealed after KwikFit signage was removed.

Demolition began in early December 2016.

13th December 2016

13th December 2016

Photo taken on 2nd January 2017

Photo taken on 2nd January 2017

From 1953 Who’s Who in the Motor Industry digitised by Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History:

Car and Light Commercial Vehicle Stockists.
360, London Road, Mitcham, Surrey.
Telephone: 0867.

Directors:
M.D. Allen.
Lt. Col. F.E. Manning O.B.E.
P.L. Smith.
H.F. Priest.

Note that M.D. Allen referred to Malcolm Day Allen, see obituary below.

Mitcham Advertiser, 3rd July 1958

HE FOUNDED A MOTOR FIRM

The funeral took place on Friday of Mr. Malcolm Day ALLEN, founder and managing director of Messrs. Allen Bros., the Lower Mitcham motor firm, who died at Herring-on-Sea, Sussex. He was the third son of the Rev. Bevill Allen, for 36 years minister of Tooting Congregational Church.

Mr. Allen, who was a bachelor, aged 66, lived with his sister in Langdale Avenue. He attained distinction as an airman in the first world war and as a leading figure in the formation and support of the Mitcham Air-Training Corps.

He flew bombers in the first world war and commanded 2157 (Mitcham East) Squadron A.T.C. in the last war.

At the funeral service in Tooting Congregational Church (his father’s church), and at the London Road Cemetery, Mitcham, were Mr. E.J.D. Field, chairman of Mitcham Magistrates Court, Mr. W. Dalton, a former mayor of Mitcham, who represented the Tooting Church, Mr. Manning, a fellow directors, and representatives of organisations connected with the R.A.F.

Merton Memories Photos
Mr. F.E.Manning, with his son in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in 1957
Vintage car outside Allen Bros. Garage

Advertised as the Broadway Garage in 1937:

1937 ad

1937 ad

1961 advert from Norwood News, via the British Newspaper Archive

Vacwell Engineering Co. Ltd.

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Engineering company that was in Willow Lane, Mitcham.

From ads in Wireless World, it may have been trading between 1958 and 1966. The first ad, see below, refers to a cathode ray pumping unit and that the firm were specialists in the design and manufacture of vacuum equipment.

From Wireless World, July 1958, via the Internet Archive

Vacwell Engineering factory building

From the 29th April 1966 issue of Mitcham News & Mercury:

RUSSIAN SCIENTIST KILLED IN BLAST

Four injured and taken to hospital

A RUSSIAN scientist was killed in an explosion at a Mitcham laboratory on Tuesday.

Four other men, one a Russian and three on the staff of the firm were hurt. They were taken to St. Helier Hospital.

The dead man was watching an experiment at the Vacwell put Engineering Company, Willow Lane, when the explosion
occurred.

Shortly afterwards a Soviet Trade Delegation went to the factory.

And strict security was imposed at the hospital and factory while the cause of the accident was being investigated.

On Wednesday no one at the factory would comment on the accident. A spokesman said: “We are not taking any Press inquiries.”

But the explosion blasted a hole in the laboratory’s roof – 100 on yards from the main factory building

Later the dead man’s name was given as Victor Stroujinsky. Three of the injured men include 28-vear-old Mr. Ronald Neale, a physicist at the firm, Gassiot Way, Sutton, who received injuries to his left leg, burns and bruises; Mr. P. Rose. of Caterham, a director of the firm, who received cuts, and fire brigade Sub-Officer William Chalk, Lymington Close Norbury, who was overcome by fumes.

Four other Russians who were also watching the experiment were unhurt.

The company, which makes electronic equipment, is believed to be under contract with the Soviet Union. And it is usual for the Russian authorities to attach inspectors to firms producing goods for them.

Dropped ampule

Later on Wednesday police said Mr Stroujinsky was handling ampules of a chemical when he dropped one and broke others which resulted in the explosion.

The following ads are via the Internet Archive Digital Library of Amateur Radio.

From Wireless World, January 1959, via the Internet Archive

From Wireless World, October 1959, via the Internet Archive

From Wireless World, January 1961, via the Internet Archive

From Wireless World, November 1965, via the Internet Archive