Aston's Garages and Light Cars

Reliant Owners Club in Coventry I imagine Bill Aston probably founded the Coventry Branch as a publicity stunt Where did they meet?

Ted Swain business acquaintance and friend of Bill Aston

John Aston and I were schoolmates at Edgewick School about 1944-1945 time, I learnt to ride a bicycle which belonged to John and came off it one dinner time after hitting a kerbside waterpipe that was put there in the war. It doesn't seem like 70 years since this happened and I can remember it as if it was last week but can't remember what I did yesterday!

Was Bob Aston any relation or was it just coincidence he worked in the garage trade and his favourite watering hole was in nearby Gosford Street?

Bob Aston was Harry Aston's eldest son, my half brother Sorry, do not know where he is now

John Aston now lives in Devon

Thanks David I knew Bob and his wife between 1960 and 1967, even worked at his Radford garage for a very brief period, but lost touch after we left Gosford Street.

Spon End Planning permission for the original building was applied for as early as 1946, several later changed plans submitted, finally granted 1949 and building started in 1950 When did Austin Corner get built and the flat?

Many thanks for the picture David, have not seen that building before I wasn't aware of either till I read about them on here David! There was certainly no sign of the forecourt building by the time I lived nearby in 1967. I do know though that the brothers owned the first two houses to the west of the garage in Allesley Old Road (one of which is just visible on the left of the picture) and used them as a spare parts shop.

I believe in the early days Bill Aston lived in one of them Why do you think they were knocked down and nothing built on the site? Has anyone any pictures of two houses?

The official reason they were knocked down was to widen the road and create a new bus lane. The idea was ill thought-through and later abandoned. The site was then landscaped. There are no clear pictures of the front of the two houses. That is probably because they were left isolated when the middle of the terrace was demolished and the press preferred to take photos of the surviving five houses at the other end of the terrace: Here is the planning application from 1956: LINK

Looks as though the roof had a few sheets replaced since 1950

Correct, they became Aston's. No 1 was the motor cycle showroom attached to a workshop which had a petrol pump outside, which in turn was linked to the first house along which Charlie Aston ran as a spares and parts business. The building opposite had the body shop, paint shop, motor cycle workshop, motor cycle storage and a showroom and later a MOT test station.The building next to the cinema became the main showroom and head office. Some of the people I remember from those departments from the late 50s/60s to the early 70s are my dad Ray Norman, Ray Wing and his son Roger, Joe Darke a fantastic body man, Jack (mag) Lucas, Mogs Mattocks, Big Bob Haines, little Dick Tandy, Harold Dudley, Tony Aston, Larry Soden, Bob Aston, Maurice, Ralph and Frankie Aston, Frank and Liz Embelton, Pete Galsworthy, a good place to work and some good memories too!!

Spares Shop was 140 Lower Ford Street, Empire Property Management that is still there is 146 Lower Ford Street so the Astons Garage must be 142/144 Yet looking on Planning Application Rayfield Autos are at 142 in 1965 on planning application 7509/C which I didn't think was right

1972 Telephone Directory confirms Rayfield Autos at 142