CREATIVE CABBIES SOUTHAMPTON DRIVER FAVOURS HISTORIC
Many PTHM readers will know Ian Hall from Southampton. He’s been active in the industry for nearly forty years, having held a hack- ney carriage badge since 1981. Recently he’s gone over to private hire (“but not working for Uber!”), since July of this year. We know Ian from having
worked
closely with him with our Association hats on: Ian is Chair of the Southampton Hack- ney Carriage and Private Hire Asso- ciation, and he’s
MODE OF TRANSPORT – NOT TAXIS FOR A CHANGE! However,
Ian Hall
kept in touch with the National Associ- ation on a regular basis. Our
latest
mutual interest - and serious soap box – is the programme of clean air proposals currently being con- sidered by South-
ampton Council. Ian and a South- ampton association member/colleague recently met with Defra in London to discuss the ramifica- tions of these prop- osals, which meeting was swiftly (and coincidentally) fol- lowed by the current consultation
on
clean air zones and charging. Unfortu- nately this con- sultation is only four weeks long (!) so we couldn’t reproduce it in this edition of PHTM, as
Ian has
submitted a docu- ment ment,
Southampton Coun- cil, which outlines in detail the potential damage which would be wrought on the Southampton trade if the proposed timeta- bles are adhered to in this matter. But we digress! In between all this fer- vent activity Ian has found time to pro- duce a rather inter- esting book. Entitled “Sidney
Har- there
wouldn’t have been time to respond.
STRATFORD DRIVER OFFERS JOURNEY OFF BEATEN TRACK
A taxi driver from Stratford is now offering a journey through the town’s history. According to the Stratford Observer, Kevin Jones has penned a ‘Pocket Guide to Stratford- upon-Avon’ offering visitors a handy guide to Shake- speare’s home town. And Mr Jones is also convinced it can claim Robin Hood as another famous son based on findings related to the near- by village of Loxley. The guide offers bitesize information on Stratford’s his- toric sites including the obvious Shake- s p e a r e - r e l a t e d tourists stop-offs, but also places such as Mason’s Croft, the
52
rison – His Life and Times with Burrell, Fowler and Scam- mell”, the book came about be-cause of Ian’s curiosity about the subject and the man. “As an ex-lorry driv- er I drove Scammell lorries, yet another English classic that is no longer in pro- duction. I joined the Scammell Register Club a few years ago, to keep the Scammell
name
Stratford taxi driver Kevin Jones with his pocket guide to his home town
Windmill Inn, and the Old Police Sta- tion in Sheep Street. Mr Jones, who is also chairman of Strat- ford-upon-Avon Taxi Association,
said:
“There is nothing like my guide. Other guidebooks tend to be large and packed
with detail, and peo- ple can never read them as they go round the sites. Mine offers information on sites that people can read in two or three minutes. The guide, priced £3.95, is available from WH Smith.
alive, and discov- ered that Scammell made 18 lorries called the Showtrac, a purpose built vehi- cle built for the travelling showman, which were predom- inantly bought by fairground families to operate their rides. “The name Mr Sid- ney Harrison ap- peared a few times, which got me think- ing: Who is this chap? – hence my book. I have had support from his grandson John Har- rison and from famous fairground
to govern- and
to
A Scammell Showtrac lorry folk,
George De-Vey from Anderton,
including and
Roland and Frank Edwards. Frank’s 100-year-old Gallop- ers
ride and
George’s Showtrac lorries are in the Din- gles
Fairground
Museum in Devon. “I have had help in writing this book from the Beaulieu Motor
Museum
library in Hampshire; this was the first place I began my research. All steam traction en-thusi- asts,
Scammell
owners, fairground families will hopeful- ly enjoy the book as much as I have liked writing it. “It is important to remember the early history from the fairs that visited different towns and cities in the UK once or twice a year, all from a bygone era. The showmen had names for
their lorries:
Gladiator, John Bull, The Leader, to name a few – which were all affectionately so named after showmen’s
the red- undant steam eng- JANUARY 2019
ines became too expensive to run. Sidney
from Bury
Harrison St
Edmunds was the sole agent for the Showtrac.” Not only is Ian’s book packed with history; the photography is wonderful. Some of the old photos of these vehicles are exceptional – they capture the flavour of the era such as no other. It’s well worth you getting a copy, whether you’re a Scammell fan or just like vintage vehicles, so get in touch with Ian
on info@
southamptontaxis.or g to find out how… and where to pay your £18.50 You’ll be more than glad you did.
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