Loxhams of Preston - Triumph Car Dealers 54

Loxhams June 1962 advert

Loxham's Garage Ltd are the feature business of this article - number 54 in my series about Triumph car dealers.

A long history

Loxham's Garages Ltd 1922 advert

As this advert from 1922 shows Loxham's Garage Ltd operated in Preston from 1922 or earlier. With premises in Fishergate and Charnley Street they were selling Rolls Royce, Wolseley, Sunbeam, Austin, Bean, Belsize, Morris and Standard vehicles.  I am indebted to the Preston digital archive for many of the images used in this article.

Loxhams Garages Ltd.1925 advert

Loxhams Garages Ltd, of Fishergate & Charnley Street, Preston advert from 1925 say "Dads New Car - Here it is and its Standard"

Loxhams Fishegate letterhead 12 December 1935

Loxhams Motor Garage, Charnley Street, Preston 1965

Car Parking

As with many other garages one of the services that Loxhams offered was car parking - as can be seen from this receipt from 1957.

Loxhams Motorservices Ltd. Corporation Street, Preston 1957 car park ticket

Not just Triumphs

Loxhams Garages Ltd 1927 Rolls Royce advert

 Loxhams Garages Ltd were appointed by both Rolls Royce and Bentley at their Preston branch.

Jaguar, Daimler and Bond motor cars, Leyland light commercial vehicles and Ferguson tractors in addition Standard Triumph products.

The Bond connection

The Bond car company and Loxhams were connected. The original Bond Minicar which was conceived and designed by Lawrence (Lawrie) Bond was built in Preston, Lancashire by Sharp's Commercials Limited - a member of the Loxhams and Bradshaw Group of companies. Production started in January 1949.

Bond cars on delivery truck

The Bond Equipe, introduced in 1963, was built in association with Standard Triumph. The engine and chassis were taken from the Spitfire and Herald /Vitesse range whilst the main body parts were made in glass fibre by Bonds. The vehicle was then assembled at the Bond factory in Ribbleton Lane, Preston. The success of the Equipe led Sharp's Commercials to formally change its name to Bond Cars Limited in 1964.

Jaguar House, Blackpool Road, Preston 1958

Many years ago, we were appointed the First official Distributors of the Bond. Since that date we have sold a vast number of these wonderful cars, and in so doing, have made countless friends, all
of whom share our enthusiasm for the Bond.

This is the Mecca of all Bond owners and we arc the people to see about exchanging your old Bond for the new Mk. F Saloon.

OPEN DAILY (Sundays included)- 9-0 a.m. to 8-0 p.m.
DEMONSTRATION CARS ALWAYS AVAILABLE

Not just Preston

Loxhams operated from several sites in Preston and had branches in other towns:

• Loxhams Morriservices Ltd, Sudell Cross, Blackburn
• Loxhams Garages (Blackpool) Ltd, Cherry Tree Road and Devonshire Road, Blackpool
• Loxhams Garages (Chorley) Ltd, Bengal Street, Chorley
• Loxhams Garages (St Annes) Ltd, Kings Road, St Annes
• Jaguar House, Ashton Garages Ltd, Blackpool Road, Preston
• Loxhams Morriservices Ltd, Corporation Street, Preston
• Loxhams Garages (Kendal) Ltd, The Westmorland Garage, Kendal 
• Loxhams Garages (Barrow) Ltd, Cordwallis Street, Barrow

Show and Service Week promotions

Staff from Standard Triumph HQ visited the business and assisted the firm with week long Show and Service promotions.  These were held by the firm at their premises:

Loxhams Garages Ltd, Charnley Street, Preston - 4th to 7th April 1966

Loxhams Garages (St Annes) Ltd, Kings Road, St Annes - 16th to 20th May 1966, 25th to 29th September 1967, 30th September to 4th October 1968

Loxhams Garages (Kendal) Ltd, The Westmorland Garage, Kendal- 2nd to 6th October 1967, 8th to 12th March 1965

Taken over by Dutton Forshaw

In 1968 the Loxhams and Bradshaw Group of companies was bought by the Dutton-Foreshaw Group. Loxhams Garages Ltd became a part of the Dutton Forshaw group and started trading under that name from some point after March 1972.

Triumph car dealers in Preston

April 1951:
Loxhams .Morriservices, Ltd., Corporation Street, PRESTON

October 1955, 1959, August 1961:
Loxhams .Garages Ltd., Charnley Street, Fishergate

February 1965:
Loxhams .Garages Ltd., Charnley Street, Fishergate as distributor
Tulkeith Service Station, 375 Blackpool Road

September 1968:
Loxhams .Garages Ltd., Charnley Street as distributor
Ashton Preston Garages Limited, Jaguar House, Blackpool Road, Ashton

March 1972
Loxhams .Garages Ltd., Corporation Street as distributor
Ashton Preston Garages Limited, Jaguar House, Blackpool Road, Ashton

March 1974:
Dutton Forshaw (Preston) Ltd, Corporation Street PR1 2TR as distributor
Dutton Forshaw (Preston) Ltd, Ashton Preston Garages, Jaguar House, Preston Road, Ashton PR2 1HP

May 1975, March 1988:
Dutton Forshaw (Preston) Ltd, Corporation Street PR1 2TR as distributor of Triumph , Rover and Land Rover

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about any of Loxhams businesses, 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 group .

I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html

Picture credits: Loxham's Garages Ltd 1922 advert, Loxhams Garages Ltd.1925 advert, Loxhams Garages Ltd 1927 Rolls Royce advert, Jaguar House, Blackpool Road, Preston 1958 and Loxhams Motor Garage, Charnley Street, Preston1965 all from Preston Digital Archive; Bond cars on delivery truck Nick Witherspoon on facebook.