Toodyay Garage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Toodyay Garage |
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Toodyay Garage in 2014
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| Former names | Toodyay Motor Garage, Prince Bros, Toodyay Garage & Passenger Service, Prince & Booth, A Booth & Co, Gronow & Ayling, L.R. Ayling & Co, Buchan & Co, Guest Agencies, Toodyay Towing Service, Toodyay Auto Centre |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Inter-war Classical-Art Deco influences |
| Address | 97–99 Stirling Terrace |
| Town or city | Toodyay |
| Coordinates | 31°33′02″S 116°28′09″E / 31.550495°S 116.469071°E |
| Completed | 1926 |
| Renovated | 1953 |
The Toodyay Garage is a historic building located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was built in 1926 for Charles Henry Doust and officially opened in February 1927. This building has served the community for many years as a place for car repairs and services.
Contents
A Garage's Early Days
The Toodyay Motor Garage was designed by architects Oldham, Boas and Ednie Brown. A local company, A James & Co., built it. The building cost about £1,200 to construct.
Vernon Hamersley, a local important person, officially opened the garage in February 1927. Many residents of Toodyay came to see the opening. The garage was built as a single-story workshop for cars. It had a special front design called Art Deco style.
However, the business did not do well at first. It was advertised for sale in 1928. The advertisement described it as a "Modern Garage and Showroom." It had a brick front and a large space for offices, a stockroom, and a showroom. There was also a special area for petrol service with a large roof supported by concrete pillars. The floor was made of concrete, and it had electric lights.
Ken Somers Takes Over
In 1928, Ken Somers took over the garage. He ran the business until he passed away in 1939. Ken Somers offered many services to the people of Toodyay.
- He provided taxi services.
- People could also rent cars to drive themselves.
- There was a daily bus service to and from Perth.
- You could hire cars with or without a driver.
In March 1932, the Toodyay Cycle Club was started at a meeting held at the garage. Ken Somers was chosen as the first president of the club.
Sadly, Ken Somers died in 1939 at 44 years old. He received serious burns in a fire at the garage. After his death, the property was put up for sale in July 1940. It seems it did not sell right away and stayed closed until 1945.
Prince Brothers Era
In September 1945, the garage was offered for sale again. Two brothers, Charles Herbert Prince and Saul Prince, bought the empty building. They had just returned from the war. They started a new business called Prince Brothers.
Around 1946, Saul Prince sold his share of the business to Arthur Booth. The garage then operated under the name Prince and Booth.
Expanding Services
Prince and Booth offered many services. They did mechanical repairs and sold fuel. They also worked with other companies like International Harvester Co. and Mortlock Bros.
In 1946, Prince and Booth started the Toodyay Garage and Passenger Service. This was a daily bus service that took people from Toodyay to Perth.
- On June 2, 1947, they started using a new bus called Miss Toodyay. It was an International brand bus.
- The old bus, Recco, had traveled 140,000 miles in two years.
- Miss Toodyay even had a radio to entertain passengers on the two-hour trip.
- On February 8, 1950, a new bus arrived. It was called Miss Toodyay II. This bus was a Panhard diesel from France. It was the only one of its kind in Australia.
- Miss Toodyay II was a large vehicle, weighing about 6.5 tons. It had a pale blue and cream inside and could carry 37 passengers.
Two months later, in April, the company announced a change. They reduced their bus service to Perth to only Tuesdays. This was because the Red Hill Road was in bad condition.
Prince & Booth also offered another service starting in 1947. They bought a hay baling machine. This machine could bale 27 tons of hay a day with only two men working it.
Selling the Bus Service
In 1951, Prince and Booth sold their bus service to the Western Australian Government Railways. Miss Toodyay II made its last trip to Perth on January 28 at 6 pm.
The newspapers noted that the bus service would now be run by the Western Australian Government Railways. They would use their own schedule.
In 1953, the Toodyay Road Board approved plans for Prince & Booth to build a "lubritorium." This was a place for lubricating cars, built next to the Toodyay Garage.
Later Owners
In the early 1950s, Prince sold his share of the business to Booth. The garage then operated as A Booth & Co.
In 1955, Ron Gronow and Leo Ayling took over the business. By 1957, it became L.R. Ayling & Co. Leo Ayling ran the garage until he passed away in 1980. After that, Murray Buchan bought the business.
The garage was later sold to Michael Guest (Guest Agencies). Then, Russell and Keith Chrimes owned it, operating as Toodyay Towing Service and Toodyay Auto Centre.
In 2014, the building was still being used as a garage. The front of the building looked much like it did when it was first built. The original shop windows were still there.
