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A growing collection of books, features, images, documents, and maps, collected, curated, and presented by a team of local volunteers keen to preserve the history of North Mymms

Brookmans Park Motors in the 1950s

The workshop at Brookmans Park Motors in the 1950s Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection
The workshop at Brookmans Park Motors at Bell Bar in the 1950s
Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection - photographer unknown
A collection of photographs of the Brookmans Park Motors (BPM) garage, showroom, and petrol station forecourt at Bell Bar in the 1950s has been acquired by one of the North Mymms History Project (NMHP) founders and uploaded to this site. We have digitised the photographs and shared them below.

The black and white images were part of a framed collection that used to hang in the BPM showroom. The five photographs displayed the 'sales' and 'service' sections of the business.

The framed photographs of Brookmans Park Motors
The framed photographs of Brookmans Park Motors
Image courtesy of Alan Sadler
The collection was bought by Alan Sadler at an auto jumble sale in early 2024. Alan then contacted the NMHP offering to share the images with the site.

One of the founders of the NMHP, historian and archivist Peter Miller, purchased the collection from Alan at cost and has made them available to be added to this site. The originals are now part of the Peter Miller Collection, which forms the basis of a large part of the content on the NMHP.

The forecourt at Brookmans Park Motors in the 1950s
The forecourt at Brookmans Park Motors at Bell Bar in the 1950s
Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection - photographer unknown

Filling up at Brookmans Park Motors in the 1950s Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection
Filling up at Brookmans Park Motors at Bell Bar in the 1950s
Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection - photographer unknown
Those interested in knowing more about the history of BPM can read a lengthy account written for this site by Nikki Greenleaf whose father owned the garage and service station on the Great North Road in the 1960s.

The showroom at Brookmans Park Motors in the 1950s Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection
The showroom at Brookmans Park Motors at Bell Bar in the 1950s
Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection - photographer unknown
Another account of the history of BPM was written by Gordon Simmons and published in the Chancellor's Community Newsletter in September 1985. That piece '46 years of motoring' is also embedded on this site.

The showroom at Brookmans Park Motors in the 1950s Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection
The showroom at Brookmans Park Motors at Bell Bar in the 1950s
Image courtesy of the Peter Miller Collection - photographer unknown
Brookmans Park Motors was located where the Esso garage currently stands (June 2024) at the corner of Woodside Lane and The Great North Road, the A1000 (location - https://w3w.co/swan.probe.park).

Below are some images of the location taken in June 2024.

The workshop area taken in June 2024
The workshop area - photograph taken in June 2024
Image NMHP

The main forecourt - photograph taken in June 2024 Image NMHP
The main forecourt - photograph taken in June 2024
Image NMHP

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Location: Bell Bar, Brookmans Park, Hatfield AL9, UK

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