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Edinburgh and a question about a German Open Top Car |
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Recollections |
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1. |
Frank Ferri |
- Rossleigh Showrooms |
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2. |
Gus Coutts |
- Vauxhall Dealership - Parked Cars |
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3. |
Harry Gilbert |
- SMT or Rossleigh |
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4. |
Harry Gilbert |
- Rossleigh |
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5. |
Phil Wilson |
- Shandwick Place - Film of German Car at Auction |
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6. |
Frank Ferri |
- Which Showroom |
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7. |
Gus Coutts |
- George Street Showroom |
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8. |
Harry Gilbert |
- George Street Showrooms |
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9. |
Brian Gourlay |
- George Street Showrooms - Eastern Motor Co - Tollcross Showroom - Eastern Motor Co - Old Photos |
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10. |
Tony Ivanov |
- George Street Showroom |
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11. |
John Dickson |
- Shandwick Place Showroom - James Ross & Sons - Shandwick Place Showroom - Rossleigh - Lothian Road - Gordon MacAndrew |
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12. |
Miles Cumming |
- George Street Showroom - Glen Henderson |
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13. |
Danny Callaghan |
- George Street Showroom |
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14. |
Mike Melrose |
- Rossleigh - Alexander Mather - McAndrew's |
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15. |
Peter Stubbs |
- McAndrew's, Lothian Road - John Croall, Castle Terrace |
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Recollections 1. Frank Ferri Newhaven, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Frank Ferri who wrote: |
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Lothian Road Showroom Rossleigh? "As a youngster, in the late-1940s or early-1950s, I saw a big German open air car that was on display in a car showrooms. I think the car was formerly used by either Goring or Hitler during World War 2. Its windows had bullet marks on them. I think it was Rossleigh’s showrooms, which then, was on the corner of Grindlay Street and Lothian Road. - In the 1970s, this became Her Majesty’s Stationery Offices. - Now, it is Nanno’s restaurant. Question Can anyone throw any light on this memory?" Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Edinburgh: October 28, 2011 |
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Recollections 2. Gus Coutts Duddingston, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Gus Coutts who replied: |
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Lothian Road Showroom SMT or Rossleigh "I remember the showroom at the corner of Grindlay Street and Lothian Road as being SMT Sales & Service, a Vauxhall dealership." Here is a photo of it." Gus Coutts, Duddingston, Edinburgh: November 5, 2011 |
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Parked Cars Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge the photo and read a discussion about the cars parked in front of the showroom. |
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Recollections 3. Harry Gilbert Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Harry Gilbert who replied: |
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Lothian Road Showroom SMT or Rossleigh "I never saw the car, but a hazy recollection links it to Rossleigh. However another hazy recollection of the showroom on the corner of Grindlay Street and Lothian Road was that it was the SMT and not Rossleigh. Was the Rossleigh showroom in Shandwick Place? Or were they in Lothian Road as well? Harry Gilbert, Edinburgh: November 5, 2011 |
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Yes Harry: Gus Coutts' recollections about the dealership on the corner of Lothian Road and Grindlay Street agree with your memories of it, and this photo confirms that it was an SMT dealership that was on that corner: |
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Recollections 4. Harry Gilbert Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Harry Gilbert for contacting me again. Harry added |
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Shandwick Place Showroom Rossleigh "An elderly friend thinks it was the bulletproof car used by Hermann Goering, and that it was displayed for a short time in Rossleigh's showroom in Shandwick Place. I would have thought that for such an event someone would have taken a photograph?" Harry Gilbert, Edinburgh: November 5, 2011 |
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Recollections 5. Phil Wilson Aberdeen, Scotland |
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Thank you to Phil Wilson who wrote: |
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Shandwick Place "The car was certainly displayed at Shandwick Place in 1948, according to the web site of an ex-Edinburgh man who now lives in Australia. Film of German Car at Auction This British-Pathé film shows the car at auction in London in the early-1950s, but I've not yet found a photo of the car in Edinburgh." Phil Wilson, Aberdeen, Scotland: November 5, 2011 |
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Recollections 6. Frank Ferri Newhaven, Edinburgh |
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It now seems clear that in the early-1950s, there was: - an SMT dealership on the corner of Grindlay Street and Lothian Road. - a Rossleigh dealership in Shandwick Place. After reading the various recollections above, Frank Ferri wrote: |
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Which Showroom? "I concede that the German open top car probably was on display in Shandwick Place, but may have been lent out at another time to SMT at Lothian Road. I remember lingering and having a good look at it with the war still fresh in my mind." Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Edinburgh: November 6, 2011. |
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Recollections 7. Gus Coutts Duddingston, Edinburgh |
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Gus Coutts, who sent me the original photo of the SMT showroom in Lothian Road has now asked another question. Gus wrote: |
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George Street Showroom "I was talking with a friend on Saturday. He said that he remembered a car showroom in George Street at, he thinks, the west end of the street. It very vaguely rings a not very clear bell with me. Can anybody else can clarify this? Gus Coutts, Duddingston, Edinburgh: November 7, 2011 |
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Recollections 8. Harry Gilbert Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Harry who wrote: |
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George Street Showroom "Gus Coutts (7 above) remembers a car showroom in George Street. I think there was one near to and along from the Assembly Rooms on the south side of George Street, but I can't remember whose it was!" Harry Gilbert, Edinburgh, November 8, 2011 |
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Recollections 9. Brian Gourlay Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
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Thank you to Harry who wrote: |
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George Street Showrooms Eastern Motor Company "The car showroom I remember well, in George Street, was Eastern Motor Company. It was just a few yards to the East of the Assembly Rooms, at No 52. It was owned by dad’s best friend John Brown and was a forerunner of today’s large Eastern Western Motor Group. Eastern Motor Company was still in George Street in the 1960s. There may also have been a showroom at the West End of George Street on the South side not far from Charlotte Square – but I’m not so sure about this." |
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Tollcross Showroom Eastern Motor Company "John Brown’s original business, before and after the war, was in Lochrin Place, Tollcross, which I visited many times as a small boy." |
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Brian Gourlay, Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland: November 8, 2011 |
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Old Photos Brian also sent me this link to the Eastern Western web site. If you click on this page, then wait a few seconds, the picture at the top of the page will rotate. There are seven different pictures including - early interior views of the workshops. - a good view of the frontage of Eastern Motor Co at 53 George Street. |
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Recollections 10. Tony Ivanov Bo'ness, West Lothian, Scotland |
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Thank you to Tony Ivanov who wrote: |
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George Street Showroom "There was indeed a car showroom at the far west end of George Street. It was on the north side. I cannot remember the dealership, but have a feeling that it might have been up-market cars." Tony Ivanov, Bo'ness, West Lothian, Scotland |
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Recollections 11. John Dickson Royston, Edinburgh |
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Edinburgh Car Showrooms Thank you to to John Dickson for sending me adverts for these car showrooms: - Shandwick Place Showroom - James Ross & Sons - Shandwick Place Showroom - Rossleigh - Lothian Road - Gordon MacAndrew Acknowledgement: John Dickson, Royston, Edinburgh: November 9+10, 2011 |
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I'll look into the copyright situation for the first two adverts above see if it will be possible for me to add these adverts to the EdinPhoto web site. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: November 10, 2011 |
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Recollections 12. Miles Cumming Edinburgh |
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Thank you to to Miles Cumming who replied: |
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George Street Showroom - Glen Henderson "I can recall a Porsche showroom at the extreme west end of George Street. It was called Glen Henderson More recently, I think it was occupied by a branch of American Express travel agent." Acknowledgement: Miles Cumming, Edinburgh: November 9, 2011 |
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Recollections 13. Danny Callaghan Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland |
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Thank you to to Danny Callaghan who wrote: |
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George Street Showroom "Tony Ivanov (10 above) mentions that there was a car showroom at far west end north of George Street. I cannot remember this, but this picture that my dad took of that part of street on a Sunday morning around 1958 may help others to remember."
Danny Callaghan, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland: November 10, 2011 |
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George Street Showroom Danny sent this message to me before I had chance to add the reply from Miles Cumming (12 above) in which Miles gave the answer: - The showroom was named Glen Henderson. It sold Porsche cars. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: November 10, 2011 |
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Recollections 14. Mike Melrose Greenbank, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to to Mike Melrose who wrote about some of the Edinburgh car showrooms. Mike hopes that others might be able to throw some more light on his topics below. He wrote: |
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Rossleigh "My recollections are that Rossleigh’s in Shandwick Place were the agents for Jaguar and Rolls Royce, and the showroom was next to a restaurant cal-1960s. I remember the gleaming cars very well. |
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Alexander Mather "I served my Apprenticeship as an Engineering Draughtsman with Alexander Mather and Sons Limited in Orwell Terrace, just of Dalry Road. During my Apprenticeship, one of the owners Ian S Mather (Mr Ian) showed me some interesting photographs and catalogues for Rolls Royce Cars. Some of the photographs were large format glass plate negatives. I wonder where they are now. The photos showed Rolls Royce cars outside the showroom at the above address. In the early-1900s, Mather’s were the original sales and service agent for Rolls Royce in Edinburgh and Scotland. In the 1911 Post Office Directory for Edinburgh, Mather’s are listed twice. - Firstly, as Engineers, Millwrights and Iron founders. - Secondly, as Motor Engineers with Showrooms at the same address. Rossleigh subsequently took over the Rolls Royce franchise. |
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McAndrew's McAndrew’s also had a Citroen Showroom in Lothian Road diagonally opposite the site of the Vauxhall Showroom in your photographs. I think the building was previously part of the Caledonian Railway Station Goods Yard. |
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Mike Melrose: November 12, 2011 |
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Recollections 15. Peter Stubbs Edinburgh |
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Here are are links to a couple more pages about car showrooms, near the West End of Edinburgh, that I added to the EdinPhoto web site a while ago. |
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1. McAndrew's Garage Lothian Road |
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2. John Croall Castle Terrace |
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Peter Stubbs: November 18, 2011 |
