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Bentley's recovery wagon, but where was the picture taken please?


boginspro

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This picture from the 60's has Bentley's Diamond T recovery wagon lifting a Bedford S Type belonging to Procters of Intake. Can anyone work out where the picture was taken please?

bentleys_diamond_t.png

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I was looking at buildings along Savile Street and remembered ‘Bentleys’ the Vauxhall dealers there. They appear to have the same name and logo as on the side of the recovery truck? I wonder if they are outside that premises, having recovered the truck with the seemingly collapsed back axle there? 

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s42038&pos=236&action=zoom&id=122650

More detective work needed methinks? :)

BC0D7986-656D-4F6E-813D-5C418F4F0895.jpeg

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I think I’ve found the location of the photograph, so please see what you think about this...

The two trucks stand on waste ground, after the demoliition of the buildings east of Twelve o’clock Street, between Savile Street to the north and Attercliffe Road to the south. The marks on each photo show the landmark buildings in the background of the shot, compared to the aerial photo

Red is the building with the white facia boards

Blue is the factory gates, immediately behind the parked car (Rover?)

Green is the building entrance, with the shallow roof gable above

The yellow shading is where I estimate the two trucks are parked

I’m open to opinions, but the key elements seem to fit nicely?! :)

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6BE87933-E143-47E7-8FFF-A83EA5D769D5.jpeg

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49 minutes ago, RLongden said:

I think I’ve found the location of the photograph, so please see what you think about this... 

The two trucks stand on waste ground, after the demoliition of the buildings east of Twelve o’clock Street, between Savile Street to the north and Attercliffe Road to the south. The marks on each photo show the landmark buildings in the background of the shot, compared to the aerial photo

Well done, thank you, I am sure you are spot on there. I would occasionally see the Diamond T parked up outside so may have actually seen it on that area of ground and would regularly see their smaller recovery vehicles going in to the modern building in your first photo'.

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They are quite a way away from where I remember Bentleys being? I recall them just tucked up against the Wicker arches, which is here the address on P.S. of 40-46 Savile Street has them. Maybe they used to occupy all of that site and also some of the arches? Perhaps they kept that behemoth of a recovery truck in there? :)

Current aerial view of site, derelict, but with recognisable frontage and the rickety scaffolding ramp that accessed the upstairs workshops....

Amazing that the old sawmill is still standing next door.......... just

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EA1167F4-18B4-4516-9BD9-058011B15AC0.jpeg

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Thanks for that RLongden  , I didn't realise that Bentleys had gone from there. I am not sure where they kept the Diamond T, I did go in their place near the Wicker Arches, through the gateway to the right of your first picture, a couple of times and there never seemed to be much spare space in there.

I wonder if it was on that land for a publicity picture, I think they advertised it as the most powerful recovery vehicle in the East Midlands, which I found a bit strange.

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Maybe they were trying to compete with Tommy Wards’ elephant next door? Although she hauled scrap and not broken down trucks and they were half a century apart, but thought it was a nice connection on the same street???

Mind you, I bet the truck drank diesel at a far more frightening rate than Lizzie went through bananas?! :) :) 

 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/lizzie-elephant-sheffield-steel-industry-1.588712

 

 

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Yes I think Lizzie Ward would have been cheaper to run, D T had a 201 hp. Hercules engine and could tow up to 50 tons. At 12½ tons D T was probably about 4 times as heavy as Lizzie.

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I think it is Savile Street.  My dad used to work in the long building, Firth Brown's offices.  I have visited him there, the entrance was in the archway in the middle.

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1 hour ago, Gordon crapper said:

I think it is Savile Street.  My dad used to work in the long building, Firth Brown's offices.  I have visited him there, the entrance was in the archway in the middle.

Indeed it is!   That Chicago-built prime mover was purchased by Bentley's commercial sales manager Norman Billingham in 1964. It was bought as a non-runner from MoD Ruddington. The Hurcules 893 cubic inch diesel engine was re-built in their commercial workshops on Attercliffe Road. It was then fitted out with Holmes heavy recovery equipment.  As far as I know [ I left in 1965 ] it was always garaged there. W/E.

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