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Notwen OIl and DELLOW Cars

E

easterfields

Guest
Hi all, joined today and hoping that someone will be able to help me with an article on NOTWEN OILS which I am writing for The Dellow Register ( an organisation for owners and enthusiasts of the Dellow sports car made in ALVECHURCH, just outside Birmingham in the 1950's).
The cars have a brass chassis plate with info on car as normal, but underneath is inscribed the name NOTWEN OILS.
It seems as though there was a " sponsorship" deal between the two companies.
I am trying to discover the history of Notwen ( owned by the reversed NEWTON family )
the types of oil it made
The connection between Dellow and Notwen
and any other interesting and useful info. particularly any old pictures of the Notwen factory or signs.
I know there was a connection between Alfa Romeo ( Dennis Poore Racing team) in the 1940's, but informaytion is limited.
Can anyone help

many thanks in advance
Roy
 
The Newton Oil factory was on the corner of Thimble Mill Lane and Long Acre Neachells B,ham 7. Dek
 
Here are 4 pics of my Dellow when I passed my test around 1963. Lovely car.
Photos unfortunately lost
 
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Our neighbour when I was 5 was a sales manager for Notwen Oils (they later reversed the name to become Newton oils). I remember he had one of the original Ford Consuls Mk I.

Note this image was found via a Google Search.
 
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dek carr said:
The Newton Oil factory was on the corner of Thimble Mill Lane and Long Acre Neachells B,ham 7. Dek
Click to expand...

dek I worked for Newton Oils in the early 1950s and our main depot was in Holt Street off Great Lister Street.
 
Bernie D'Boult said:
Our neighbour when I was 5 was a sales manager for Notwen Oils (they later reversed the name to become Newton oils). I remember he had one of the original Ford Consuls Mk I.

Note this image was found via a Google Search.
Click to expand...

Bernie Ernest Newton was the name of the Company and their Trade name was Notwen
 
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Alf said:
dek I worked for Newton Oils in the early 1950s and our main depot was in Holt Street off Great Lister Street.
Click to expand...

Alf of course you are right i remember it now the one that stuck in my mind was up by Nechells Green it was a large imposing building that was quite new in the 60s. Dek:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I knew the family name was Newton but am sure they changed late 50's (or even later) to trading under the Newton Name Alf. Our next door neighbour was a Mr Wheeler - his wife thought it amusing that he was one of the few who dressed up weekdays when the other neighbours dressed up on Weekends. They were flanked on one side by a Chimney Sweep (my Dad) and the other by a Jobbing builder carpenter with first a Motorcycle combo with a sidecar that was a mobile tool chest really and later, oddly enough, he had a Rolls Royce Shooting brake that was so large it only just fitted in the garage. He used to have to climb out through the rear doors once he had parked it.

Check this site out you will need to do a page search for Newton Oils but there are one or two races named after Newton Oils.
 
thanks for info: tha Lola site mentions two races sponsored by Newton Oils ( after they changed from Notwen ) connected to the Lola Racing car
Search revealed in 1966 a Newton Oils Trophy race at Prescot, famous hill climb race, and another in 1968 a Newton Oil Trophy at Harewood , both won by a Lola T70 Mk11 driven by Phill Scragg, these were both rounds in the RAC hill climb.
I can well imagine that they were regular sponsors of these events and have details of their involvement with Alfa Romeo.

Also recently found info about abig fire at their works, be glad to know if it is on anyone records ?
108-year-old Birmingham Newton Company, manufacturers of industrial and automotive lubricants and chemical products, might well have come to an abrupt end twenty years ago — on 20 March 1968 in fact — when a disastrous fire gutted the company's Holt Street works, blending plant and laboratory, leaving a pile of smoking rubble where Ernest Newton founded his family business in 1880.
 
Thank you Bernard

One thing Mr Newton was known for he always bought Bristol Cars
 
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Yes It is quite wonderful how many people are happy to share info and help the research along. Thank you all for your comments so far.
I really am hoping to find out some details about the Notwen business run by the Newton Family. What they made, how they started, about the fire too in the 60's that almost finished them, and how they came to form alink with Dellow Engineering and " sponsor" their car manufacture.
research goes on !!!!! ( and to think I never liked History at school ! )
thanks again, ( but still hoping for more stuff !)
Roy
 
Hi Alf, thanks for your response to my request for info about Notwen Oils before Christmas.
I am still trying to collect more info. Do you know how he company started , was it candlke making perhaps ? and how many people worked there in the 50's. ? I doubt you have any pictures of your time there but if so I would be fascinated to see them.
I think that Mr Newton drove an HRG trials car and was a member of Hagley & District Motor Club. and competed against Ken Dellingpole and Ron Lowe who went on to build the DELLOW motor car in Alvechurch. .
Any further info very greatfully recieved.
thanks Roy
 
Just found this thread.
As a young lad I worked in a garage on Slade Road, Erdington, at the time selling Notwen Oils, when this changed to Newton Oils, one of there Reps told me they changed the name because some garages when the Reps called used to say,
"Don't want your oils, NOTWEN we can better oils elsewhere".
Always did think this was a bit suspect.
 
I remember my dad Roy Gough worked for newton's in the 60's and if I remember rightly it was by a smelly brewery..one year they had a fire and killed lots of fish in the canal behind..my memory was the clocking in clock and the smell of oil when my dad took me in..
 
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