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Lincoln Street Motors

oldoldold,

I well remember Lincoln Street Motors on several sites, and have no particular interest in them, but I've just spent a very pleasant half hour paging through your terrific images via the link in Post #21. I stopped at the NSU Prinz and will resume on another day, but when I was much younger, it was a car I always wanted to own. I would have probably regretted it, but I really fancied it at the time. Thanks for the link.

Maurice
 
Hi Paul,

I was last in Denmark in 1969 as part of a business trip, so didn't really get much of a chance to look around. Nice restaurants & food, but very expensive even then. Not likely to see it again as age cuts down the travelling and my place of choice is Tuscany, where the the food and ice cream is great and not expensive, and the wine is better on both counts!

Maurice
 
This thread takes me back to my early teens, my friend lived in Wenman Street Balsall Heath between Pearson Street and Edward Road and Lincoln Street Motors had a repair place between his house and Edward Road. As car mad kids we would always be looking at the American cars which were usually parked in the street waiting to be fixed. I can remember the name Falkenstein although I did not know him but I can remember a fancy American car I think a Chevrolet Impala registration KF 4 which used to appear and I was told belonged to the owner. The same car or registration was always on the drive of a house in Mackenzie Road Moseley when I did my paper round for Martins newsagents in Saint Marys Row about 1964/5, maybe that's where he lived.
Maybe I should have applied for a job with Sherlock Holmes !
 
A not very good view of part of the frontage of the Cox St West showroom of Lincoln St motors that I took in the 1970s is shown in #68 at https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/birmingham-1969-73.23229/page-4 reproduced below

14B__Cox_St__West__west_side.jpg
 
I recall lincoln street motors ,they was competitors to the cressswell brothers whom are the founders of Bristol Street motors when it was a little one small showroom way back in time on the bristol road
Just short of sun street west and the bristol cinaphone picture house along bristol roadand they poached
A couple of there car cleaners to come and join us
And they took another unit down by the soho taveren winson green in the days of the old cortinas and the
Anglia and ford zephers that came from fords which was delivered tnere
And inspected and highly serviced before they was dispatched to bristol street
Car show room and head office fred waklin was there depot manager
And freds brother from dudley road was there head mechanic and he also done the
Under sealing to the cars before shipping down to bristol street
I was a young kid at the time never got much of a wage there ,
There was about four other people down smethwich which was cleaning for them
To london brothers whom was friends of Harry cresswell i worked along side
Of them i was the little young kid in the garage, i was only getting pittance
So one day i went to work and i said to the guys i,m gonna asked for a wage rise
And they laughed so when he came in to the office that morning
I chose my time to go or should i say i plucked up my nerve and said to these two guys
Right i am going to go in the office and asked for a pay rise, they laughed at me
And said go on son go in and asked ,his office was a wide widow all around
So he could see every body on the shop floor so also these guys could see me from there
Postion so i bold over and knocked the office door,come in he said
So in i walked and asked him if i could have a pay rise
He laughed at me and paused and he said okay son, yes you can,and he smiled
So did I, he said you can have a three penny rise 3d in those dayd
I said thank you to him and walked across the shop floor with a smile they said how did you get on
I said he as given me a 3d pay rise they said blimmey we want one but they never went into one
After about eight weeks i decidec to enlist in the Army , so i went back to his office
And he said what now son, I asked him for a reference to join up and again he said no problem
And he got me a written reference to join
Eventualy i came out on leave and decide to go anfpd visit the lads
But they had grew larger in business they had employed a securtiy on there gates
To prevent people walking in the premise, i was stopped by security and asked whom what and why
Whom are you , i had yet another smile to myself
Because the security guy said, Oh you must have been that young kid some time ago
Whom boldly went in and asdked for a pay rise and later you back for a reference
I said oh yes thats me, and he said i,ve heard alot about you and let me through
 
I used to do a lot of signwriting at Bristol st. motors,both Bristol st. and Winson Green, did 10 vans once for West Bromwich football club.
 
Hi olold
The garage on the very first corner of your moderen day photo, which incicently
Is a cracker of a picture would be meriden street.
And as far back as i can recall there was always a motor dealer/ car sales which actualy
Had taken the whole corner up by those traffic lights and it always had expensive cars in the show room
It was the expensdive ones of the era going back in time as i recall as a kid
Way back in the forty /fifty onwards there paint work on there show rooms was never clean
Always dirty and blistard and peeling off and dirty windows
A couple of doors along going back up meriden street was mr king of the Banana trade in around the
Old bull ring as it was in those days he had his bigger ware house just across the road
Where alot of traders was selling in those days he was always dressed smart just .ike a cockney spiff
He supplied all the traders for all thefe bannas as he was the biggest importer in the bull ring
When i used to walk along meriden street passing his gates i used to think about those big spiders
What comes in them boxes what my mom used to tell me as we was walking to her mom and dad
On new cannal street which continues along from meriden street
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Bristol Street Motors
-----------------------
Who Can Remember The Little And Old Shops Of BRISTOL road Motors ,
On Bristol Road , Where They Began ,
Long Before They Became Multi - Dealers Of Cars
And Long Before They Got Involved With Fords Dealership ,
It Was Started BY Harry Cresswell AND His Brother Maurice ,
Many MANY Years Ago.
They Had A Couple Of Depots Where They Bought ThereCars
And Valeted Them To High Stannards And Serviced Them
One Was In The Highgate Area, Just Cannot Think Of The Name
Right Now. The OTHER ONE Was In Victoria Street Winson Green
And Thats The One I Worked At Manny Years Ago
[ To Long For Me To Speak ABOUT ]
His Deot Manager Was A Chap Called Freddie Wakelin
Harry And His Brother Came Like Clock Work To Check THAT Was
Everythink His Running SMOOTH
One Day I Went Into The Office ,And ASKED For A Rise In My Wages ,
AND Harry Looked AT Fred ,[ I Was Only Young Then ]
And He SAID Okay Son . He Offered Me Threpuny PIECE Rise ,
I Said Thanks , And Walked OUT OF The Office
All The Older Guys Started To Smile At Me When I Walked Back On To
The Shop Floor And Asked ME How I Got On ,
I Told Them What They Said , The Following Week They Started To Get
Resstless And They Started To Approach Freddie For A Rise
Which nThey Never Got .
A Week Later They Started A Chap On VALETTEDING
Apparently This Guy Had Been A CHAUFFER , For Some Big Noise
It Wasn,t Long Before Harry Had Him Sent Down To Bristol Street
AND He Became There CHAUFFER ,
Afew Weeks LATER I Went Into The OFFICE ,AND Asked Them
Would They Give Me A Refference, To Join The Army ,
And They Both Did And Wished Me Good Luck
AFTER ALengh Of Time I Got Some Home Leave ,
I Went Back To See Them ALL , But By This Time They Had Gone
Into Dealership With Fords On A MASSIVE Scale
There Was Security Everywhere aND Loads Of Camera,s
IGave My Name To The Security Officier On The Gate
Even Thou I Had Never Met Him Before , He Said YOU Are That Chap
WHOM JOINED The Army, I Said Yes , He Said I,VE Heard All About You , The Guy Whom Went Into The Gathers Office For ARISE
He Let Me In ,
The Cresswell Family Are Still DEALING In Cars
Down On The Hagley Road West Dealing With The Old Specialality
For Films And TV Movies
And His Daughter As CONNECTION ,With AMember OF tHE Royal
Family
HAVE A NICE DAY EVERYBODY BEST WISHES , ASTONIAN ;;
 
Bristol Street Motors
-----------------------
Who Can Remember The Little And Old Shops Of BRISTOL road Motors ,
On Bristol Road , Where They Began ,
Long Before They Became Multi - Dealers Of Cars
And Long Before They Got Involved With Fords Dealership ,
It Was Started BY Harry Cresswell AND His Brother Maurice ,
Many MANY Years Ago.
They Had A Couple Of Depots Where They Bought ThereCars
And Valeted Them To High Stannards And Serviced Them
One Was In The Highgate Area, Just Cannot Think Of The Name
Right Now. The OTHER ONE Was In Victoria Street Winson Green
And Thats The One I Worked At Manny Years Ago
[ To Long For Me To Speak ABOUT ]
His Deot Manager Was A Chap Called Freddie Wakelin
Harry And His Brother Came Like Clock Work To Check THAT Was
Everythink His Running SMOOTH
One Day I Went Into The Office ,And ASKED For A Rise In My Wages ,
AND Harry Looked AT Fred ,[ I Was Only Young Then ]
And He SAID Okay Son . He Offered Me Threpuny PIECE Rise ,
I Said Thanks , And Walked OUT OF The Office
All The Older Guys Started To Smile At Me When I Walked Back On To
The Shop Floor And Asked ME How I Got On ,
I Told Them What They Said , The Following Week They Started To Get
Resstless And They Started To Approach Freddie For A Rise
Which nThey Never Got .
A Week Later They Started A Chap On VALETTEDING
Apparently This Guy Had Been A CHAUFFER , For Some Big Noise
It Wasn,t Long Before Harry Had Him Sent Down To Bristol Street
AND He Became There CHAUFFER ,
Afew Weeks LATER I Went Into The OFFICE ,AND Asked Them
Would They Give Me A Refference, To Join The Army ,
And They Both Did And Wished Me Good Luck
AFTER ALengh Of Time I Got Some Home Leave ,
I Went Back To See Them ALL , But By This Time They Had Gone
Into Dealership With Fords On A MASSIVE Scale
There Was Security Everywhere aND Loads Of Camera,s
IGave My Name To The Security Officier On The Gate
Even Thou I Had Never Met Him Before , He Said YOU Are That Chap
WHOM JOINED The Army, I Said Yes , He Said I,VE Heard All About You , The Guy Whom Went Into The Gathers Office For ARISE
He Let Me In ,
The Cresswell Family Are Still DEALING In Cars
Down On The Hagley Road West Dealing With The Old Specialality
For Films And TV Movies
And His Daughter As CONNECTION ,With AMember OF tHE Royal
Family
HAVE A NICE DAY EVERYBODY BEST WISHES , ASTONIAN ;;
Slight correction . . . The American brothers that owned Bristol Street Motors were Harry & Albert CressMAN. 'Little' Harry was Harry Cressman's CHAUFFER. I worked for them for 14 years and started when they only had the Main (New Car) showroom plus "No1" & "No2" used cars close by. Geoff Pountney & Graham Garner ran "No1" & Bernie ? ran "No 2". Harry Cressman sadly died in 2008 after a long fight with cancer. It was a great Company and launched me into a working lifetime in the automotive trade.
 
You might recall then when the Cressman brothers tried to get past the Sunday trading laws Nigel, they were prosecuted by Birmingham trading standards officers and fined for selling cars on Sundays they defied the court twice and were fined more each time, they gave up when the judge told them if they came before him again the fine would be £50,000
 
Yes Eric, I was there then - we had to work Sundays, especially when the "Cardrome" (with three floors) opened - remember that on Coventry Road? Harry, especially, 'pushed the limits', a fearless entrepreneur . . . .
 
Yes Eric, I was there then - we had to work Sundays, especially when the "Cardrome" (with three floors) opened - remember that on Coventry Road? Harry, especially, 'pushed the limits', a fearless entrepreneur . . . .
Yes Eric, I was there then - we had to work Sundays, especially when the "Cardrome" (with three floors) opened - remember that on Coventry Road? Harry, especially, 'pushed the limits', a fearless entrepreneur . . . .
Kurt’s last venture was ‘World of Cars’ in Lionel Street I think. In the 80s Kurt used to buy ex hire cars from Jersey
 
Harry Cressman was Birmingham’s most succesful car dealer and Bristol Street Motors had their own Beech King Air turboprop aircraft at Elmdon in the 70s, operated by Central Air Services based in Hangar Number 1
 
Lincoln Street Motors was where I worked from 1975 to 1986,first at their Datsun dealership in Moseley,and then the'rink' as we referred to it on Summerhill.Sadly for the last 4 months that I worked there it was with Price Waterhouse Cooper who were administrating the wind up.
 
Lincoln Street Motors was where I worked from 1975 to 1986,first at their Datsun dealership in Moseley,and then the'rink' as we referred to it on Summerhill.Sadly for the last 4 months that I worked there it was with Price Waterhouse Cooper who were administrating the wind up.
Lincoln St Motors had a workshop in Weaman Street near corner of Edward Rd... my cousin Jimmy Black started his apprenticeship there in 60's....Manager was Tony Dugan, a very smart, well spoken gentleman with small moustache, who every evening, went into The Snug of the Clock Pub (Moseley Arms) until he made his way home to Gilberstone Avenue Yardley at about 8pm.........1970's-80's
 
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