Friday, April 29, 2016

Clark and Lambert of Eastbourne - Triumph car dealers 10

Clark and Lambert Limited of Eastbourne number 10 in an occasional series about Triumph car dealers in the UK.
Clark & Lambert door sill plate
Clark & Lambert door sill plate
Clark & Lambert Ltd Triumph 2000 1970 advert
Clark & Lambert Ltd Triumph 2000 1970 advert

A short history of Clark & Lambert

The workshops and stores were on the upper level at Clark & Lambert, and entered and exited via steep, spiral concrete rampways from the ground level. It's fair to say they were 'interesting' to drive up and down, and the walls bore the scars of various vehicles that had bounced off them, including our own Caffyns Minor van!---said boxofbits from the TR Register.
Clark & Lambert -Trinity Place Garage
Clark & Lambert -Trinity Place Garage
Clark & Lambert - Trinity Place Garag before and after
Clark & Lambert - Trinity Place Garage before and after
The Classic cinema is said to been open between 1938 and 1965. Reading www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/news/local/rolling-back-years-... I wonder if the car dealer and car park operated from premises behind the central cinema portion at first.

The firm is also listed as a Land Rover dealer in 1950.


Trinity Place Garage advertised their car parking in 1950.

Fleet order of Heralds supplied by Willetts through Clark & Lambert
A fleet of 19 Triumph Heralds was supplied by Willetts through Clark & Lambert for British Uralite Co Ltd reported in Standard Triumph Review January 1961.

Show and Service Weeks

Factory staff visited the Trinity Place branch on several occasions to assist the branch with special promotional Show and Service Weeks over the years including 2nd to 6th March 1963 and again between 24th and 28th May 1965. A further Show and Service took place during the week 8th to 12th January 1967.

Clark & Lambert invoice

Clark & Lambert Ltd invoice dated 16 September 1957
Clark & Lambert Ltd invoice dated 16 September 1957

Former Cinema converted to showroom

Mrs. M, Lambert, Fyfe Robertson, the Mayor of Eastbourne, and Mr. M. Lambert, Director and a founder of the firm, at the opening ceremony
Mrs. M, Lambert, Fyfe Robertson, the Mayor of Eastbourne, and Mr. M. Lambert, Director and a founder of the firm, at the opening ceremony
Fyfe Robertson, the then well-known BBC television personality, opened the new showrooms of Clark and Lambert Ltd, Standard-Triumph Distributors in Eastbourne. The Mayor of Eastbourne and other local dignitaries were also present. The new showroom, illustrated, is a conversion of the former Classic Cinema, immediately adjoining the main premises of the Company. By a fortunate historical coincidence both buildings were designed by the same architect so that the two blend harmoniously.
Clark & Lambert Ltd Eastbourne new 1965 showroom exterior
Clark & Lambert Ltd Eastbourne new 1965 showroom exterior
Before negotiations started for the Cinema premises in May, 1965, the company were able to display only half their stock of cars, and the new premises have added a welcome 4,000 sq. ft.  Clark and Lambert's main building was opened at the end of 1937, and the new showrooms have an interesting history having been erected in 1926 as an indoor riding school and being used for that purpose until the 1930's. It opened as a cinema in 1938 and continued until November 1965. Structural alterations started in February 1965. A feature is the enlarged stage as a show area for a car and the retention of the sloping floor as an aid to display.
Clark & Lambert Ltd Eastbourne new 1965 showroom interior
Clark & Lambert Ltd Eastbourne new 1965 showroom interior

Herald fleet order

19 Triumph Herald cars sold by Willetts (Eastlbourne) Ltd
A fleet of 19 Triumph Herald cars supplied by Willetts (Eastlbourne) Ltd through Clark & Lambert Ltd for British Uralite Co Ltd in 1961.

Dealers address and other Eastbourne Triumph dealers

In the 1965 Triumph Service Directory listing for Eastbourne:

Clark & Lambert Ltd, Trinity Place Garage. 'Phone 4660. Distributor
Cornfield Garage Ltd, 21 Cornfield Road. 'Phone 2244. Dealer
Willetts (Eastlbourne) Ltd 85/87 South Street. 'Phonc 2384 Dealer

In 1968/69 only Clark & Lambert are listed for Eastbourne.

In the 1974 the listing the firm is still listed at Trinity Place Garage as a distributor but the name has changed to Clarke & Lambert (Prop. Caffyns Ltd) to reflect the business being bought by Caffyns in 1970.

Plea for information

Have you got information or recollections about Clark & Lambert Ltd? I am looking for photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc.  I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TriumphCarDealers

Further information and sources

Link to the other articles in this series.

Link to facebook page: Triumph Car Dealers.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group which includes many photos of Standard Triumph garages etc from my collection and many other contributors .

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

Picture credits: Views of the garage building Grenville Godfrey on Flickr; Door sill plate photo from David Bowers; Trinity Place Garage advert from gracesguide.com; other images from the Standard Triumph Review.

8 comments:

  1. Peter Morrow6:35 pm

    I worked in the ‘stores’ (parts department) at Clark & Lambert for 2 or 3 years until the day it closed, and recall the following:

    As already mentioned, the showroom (former cinema) was on the left side (as you faced the building) and I think the floor above was used for storing sales banners and promotional material.

    To the right of this was the main entrance, where you could drive in and up the ramp, or turn right to the petrol pumps – yes, these were inside! At the back of the ground floor was the Cash Office, and to the right of the exit were offices for the manager and his deputy.

    The ramp curved up through 90 degrees to the first floor which had offices for the Service Manager and his foreman, a staff room and several workshop bays.

    The ramp continued up to the second floor where the stores was, the lubrication bay with a 4-post lift and 3 or 4 other workshop bays. Also kept on this floor was the Land Rover tow truck (I think a 1966 D-reg Series 2a) and the parts van. This was a Morris Marina, which I used on occasion to collect tyres from Caffyns’ tyre depot at 520 Seaside (currently Lidl).

    They dealt with Rover and Jaguar as well as Triumphs, and would also service other makes. The ramp was wide enough to take a Mk X Jag and had a narrow pavement for pedestrian staff, though there was also a stairwell in one corner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pete, it's Steve Moon, I remember the showroom ramp well.
      Worked there for twelve years, great fun. Ironically I had to go to Steve Adams funeral yesterday, not sure if you knew him?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:59 am

      Hi Steve, sorry to hear about Steve Adams, yes I did know him then. Weren't there 2 guys with that name, or was it him and yourself worked together?

      Delete
  2. I have a triumph Dolomite 1977 1500 HL auto with clark and lambert door plate before LTD.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A most interesting history of not only Clarke and Lamberts but also of the dear old "Classic" cinema. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Does the Dolomite 1977 1500 HL auto with clark and lambert door plate look like the one shown in this blog post?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I served my apprenticeship at Clark & Lambert. 1972-1977. Service manager was Ron Baker. Very happy memories
    Ian Legate

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ian, it's Steve Moon..
      Worked there the same time as you, twelve years, almost until it closed.

      Delete

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