This article is about Charles Clark and is number 48 in my continuing series about Standard Triumph car dealers.
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| Charles Clark window sticker |
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| Charles Clark Wolverhampton window sticker |
Charles Clark operated over a number of different sites. I have listed the subsidiary companies as they were in 1981 later in this article.
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| the Charles Clark Group window sticker |
The company branding has changed over the years. Sometimes known as Charles Clark, the Charles Clark Group and later as Hartwell Charles Clark.
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| Hartwell Charles Clark window sticker |
Currently there is a business trading as Charles Clark.
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| Charles Clark modern logo |
Brass Badge
1934 dealers badge from a 1934 Austin Seven image provided by T Bonne.
Coach builder
Early in their history the company was a coach builder. This Rolls-Royce Phantom II was sold for around £1 million in 1986 and subsquently auctioned by Bonhams.
The 1926 Phantom I has frescoes on the ceiling, a drinks cabinet and rear seats which took more than nine months to create.
Commissioned by Clarence Gasque – a financial director of Woolworth’s – as a surprise gift for his wife Maude, it has been described as a palace on wheels.
Gasque, a London-based American, bought the chassis and drivetrain from Rolls-Royce for £1,600, and ended up spending a further £5,000 on the project, creating the world’s most expensive car.
He gave it to coachbuilder Charles Clark of Wolverhampton with the demand the car’s design must be French.
Craftsmen from Aubusson, France, spent nine months working on the tapestry for the rear seats, costing £500 – the same price as the average home at the time.
As passengers sit on the back seat they gaze upwards at the naked cherubs painted on the ceiling.
Charles Clark Woverhampton
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| Charles Clark, Wolverhampton Rover Group advert |
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| Charls Clark Merridale Road Wolverhampton |
Whilst the Wolverhampton branch on Merridale Road, Chapel Ash stood empty the building was damaged. The local authority served notice for work to be done to protect both the building and land in 2005. The company failed to comply and was fined £2000 with £600 costs.
Triumph TR7
Like many car dealers Charles Clark placed adverts in football match programs. I particularly like this advert from a Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United programme from 1978 which includes a scarf billowing from the window.
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| Charles Clark - WolverhamptonWanders1978 Program advert |
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| Charles Clark, Wolverhampton address stamp on TR7 brochure |
Rally support
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| Austin Westminster rally barge |
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| Austin Westminster rally barge image 2 |
A Charles Clark Group sponsored Austin Westminster estate car was used as rally service support vehicle.
Subsidary companies
The Charles Group consisted of business at many different locations. In the company accounts for Charles Clark & Son Limited for the year to 31 December 1981: Alexander Finance Company Limited, Charles Clark Commercial Vehicles Limited, Charles Clark Drive Hire Limited,
Charles Clark Group Fleet Limited, Charles Clark Newtown Limited, Charles Clark Shrewsbury Limited, Charles Clark Stafford Limited, Charles Clark Telford Limited, Charles Clark Walsall Limited, Charles Clark West Bromwich Limited, Charles Clark & Son (West Bromwich) Limited
Charles Clark Woverhampton Limited, Dartmouth Contract Hire Limited, Dulac Garages Limited,
Enterprise Garage Bridgenorth Limited, Enterprise Garage Chester Limited, Meiron Motors Limited.
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| Charles Clark Austin Allegro advert April1979 |
This Charles Clark Group advert for the Austin Allegro from April 1979 includes a list of branches:
Bullstake, Darlaston; Pool Road, Newtown (Powys); Roushill, Shrewsbury; Lichfield Road, Stafford; Market Street, Wellington, Telford; Hatherton Road, Walsall; High Street, West Bromwich; Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton.
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| Charles Clark Shrewsbury |
Plea for information
If you have any more information or recollections about the Charles Clark group, photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin
Further information and sources
Link to the other articles in this series.
Link to face book page: Triumph Car Dealers.
Link to my
Triumph Car Dealers Flickr gallery of images I have found on Flickr.
I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories:
http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html
Picture credits:Charles Clark Wolverhampton window sticker David Rumens; Charls Clark Merridale Road Wolverhampton by Robert Francis facebook; 1934 dealers badge from a 1934 Austin Seven image provided by T Bonne; Rolls Royce images from Bonhams ;Austin Westminster rally barge image 2 Aaron Gee on flickr; Charles Clark, Wolverhampton Rover Group advert; Charles Clark modern logo from Charles Clark website; Charles Clark Austin Allegro advert April 1979 scan posted to facebook by Andy Grainger; Charles Clark - WolverhamptonWanders1978 Program advert posted flickr by Miles McClagan.
