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The only Triple H left?

V

vintagekeith

Brummie babby
Hi Folks
My first post.....
Not being a native of Brum, I have no idea of the geography surrounding this.

I believe I have the only remaining example of a Triple H motorcycle, made in Alvechurch Road, West Heath back in 1922/3. The 'Triple H' came from 2 x Hobbis brothers and 1 x Horrell. 100 years old next year, I am hoping that some light could be shed by someone; does Alvechurch Road still exist; any old photos; any family descendents; anything at all.
The engine is unusual, by a minor manufacturer, also a native company, John Morris of Knowle, and on May 6th a 'Morris' engined machine was awarded 2nd place in the Brooklands 'Junior TT', beating every other 2 stroke entered. (at the time the photo was taken the wrong engine was fitted - I've since found 2 Morris engines)
 

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The only Hobbis I can find on Alvechurch Road in 1920s (limited directories online) is a Charles Hobbis who ran a nursery - did his sones use his land for their manufacturing??
1630321908020.png
 
Alvechurch Road becomes West Heath Road just north of the junction on the map in the last post. I assume that this was the West Heath Lane the Hobbis family were living at in 1911. Further along West Heath Road there is a road called Hobbis Croft

The red circle is the possible site of the nursery and the red marker is Hobbis Croft
1630323713313.png
 
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The 1924 Kellys, which would cover the time of the company , does not list the firm under either name. I did find mention of R Hobbis in a report of a motorcycle trial from Birmingham Gazette. 16th April 1923. Below is the heading of the event and the mention :

birm gaz.16.4.1923 (1).jpgbirm gaz.16.4 .1923(2).jpg
 
Wow, these responses are great, many thanks - you guys know where to look!
I do have a few snippets I've found over the years, in the depths of the Vintage Motorcycle Club Journals, one report of the 1923 Victory Trial, where "CC Holroyd and the Hobbis brothers rode Triple H sidecar and Triplette solo machines respectively." The only mention of the premises were that they "started operations in a couple of corrugated iron huts on the site", but no mention of where on Alvechurch Road.
It does sound likely that the nursery plot would be favourite.
Had a look at Hobbis Croft on Google Earth, houses are recent, would be nice to find out how the street came by it's name!
 
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Hobbis Croft is very recent. The map for 1985 still shows the area around as being Collingwood School (earlier Collingwood Special School). , which seems to appear sometime after 1937, before which the area was an open site.
 
Thanks Mike - thought it might be named after the Hobbis brothers. Wondered if it was where their garage was.
 
I found this on Wikipedia:

The surname Hobbis had been particularly common in the area in the 19th century and people with that name included farmers, agricultural workers and (in Kings Norton village) the publican of the inn, The Plumber's Arms, but no-one named Hobbis is listed in the 1907 Directory as owning property in West Heath although a small piece of land in what is now Alvechurch Road was known as Hobbis' Piece and was then owned by Adam Webb, chief clerk in an assurance company, another solid middle class inhabitant of that time in West Heath.

So Hobbis' Piece may be the location of Hobbis Croft?
 
I was born in a prefab in West Heath (1951) and lived there until 1975.

Non of which is relevant to the OP, but it is interesting to see how much it has all changed. Where Ivyhouse Road now is, was a working farm when I was a nipper.


Steve.
 
pjmburns/ vintagekeith,

It may be coincidental but there is a building on the shops side of Alvechurch Road up a little from the nursery plot (where Onions Cars are trading) which was originally a corrugated building named West Heath Garage. There is a photo on Onions website taken sometime in the 60’s judging by the cars but it clearly shows a corrugated building. Might be worth contacting Onions to see if they have any historical knowledge of the premises?
 
pjmburns/ vintagekeith,

Just read the below text on Onions website in reference to West Heath Garage which seems to corroborate there was motorcycle production on the site.

’West Heath Garage started out in 1927 as Frank E. Baker Motorcycles Ltd. They made the Baker motorcycles till 1930‘.

On researching Baker motorcycles I came across this comment - It is believed that the Alvechurch Road premises were previously occupied by Hobbis Bros and Horrell, who had produced the Triple H motorcycle.

Sources: Graces Guide, Henshaw, Wikipedia
 
Thank you very much for this snippet, I've emailed Onion Cars, as it is the same site!
I have some VMCC articles from the '60s that state a small number of lesser motorcycle manufacturers occupied this site in the '20s, the last of which appears to be FE Baker.
Onions website history is known back to 1927 as you say, but before them came Massey Arran, who moved in directly after Triple H ceased.
Hoping Onion Cars may have other photos of the buildings, as not much visible on the one photo on their site.
 
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