Bob Fisher’s Garage
The Garage on the hill at the northern end of Sellindge was one of the very first in Kent to sell petrol. This was around 1903. Previous to that time the establishment had operated as agricultural engineers, producing and repairing farm machinery. The owners were excellent wheelwrights, a trade which stood the establishment in good stead when motor vehicles began using the roads of Kent.
By the 1920’s the business had become established as Norrington Bros. Garage. The Norringtons were a local Sellindge family. William Norrington was killed in the last year of First World War.. His name is recorded on the Arras Memorial (Bay 8) and on the Sellindge War Memorial NORRINGTON, Private, WILLIAM, 44697. 20th Bn. Durham Light Infantry. 25th March 1918. Age 27. Son of Mary Norrington, of Ivy Holme, Stone Hill Sellindge, Ashford, Kent, and the late B. M. H. Norrington.
Though the 1920’s and 1930’s the garage, under Norrington management moved more and more into the motor vehicle trade, repairing cars and selling petrol. The following appeared in a list of ex-army vehicles, probably owned byNorringtons after WW2 Scammell Super, believed ex-Norrington garage of Sellindge Kent. (Les Freathy).
The photograph dated 1946 shows the Union Flag blowing proudly in the wind on a flag staff possibly erected to celebrate VE Day the previous year. 1961 and petrol sales are going strong. The time is coming when almost every family in the land would own a car and small garages would earn a good living selling petrol and doing repairs.
By 1980 the business had taken on car sales becoming Lancia and Suzuki agents When Bob Fisher purchased the business petrol still played a role in the turnover but when Tesco came on the scene, Bob, along with thousands of small garages all over the country could not compete with the prices (judging by the price today the cut price trading hasn’t saved the public much in the long run) and turned to car sales to make up the deficit.
Bob has updated the premises and has a thriving modern Service Workshop and M.O.T. Bay He deals mainly in small family cars and has been very successful in this field. He is well known with the public and in the trade for reliability and fairness. His reputation has helped him through the tough times of the recession and he looks forward to the future with optimism.
Cinque Ports article. First printed in Folkestone, Hythe & Romney Life May 2010
(Hard Copy Back Numbers Still Available) All articles, photographs, films and drawings on this web site are World Copyright Protected. No reproduction for publication without prior arrangement. (Hard Copy Back Numbers Still Available) © World Copyright 2015 Cinque Ports Magazines Rye Ltd., Guinea Hall Lodge Sellindge TN25 6EG