Taking the petrol pump for granted ................ and other stories

Today and for the next few weeks I shall be celebrating the humble petrol pump, through the art work of my friend Ann Love.

A few weeks ago I wrote about those pre-war petrol cans which were essential, given the scarcity of petrol stations which forced motorists to carry a supply for emergencies.

They cans came in different shapes and colours and usually bore the name or logo of the petrol company.

And fired by that story Ann told me of an art project she undertook back in 1964 which
described the early history of the petrol pump and was illustrated by her own series of pictures.

I have to confess that I had not really given the petrol pump much thought, but like so many things it is a bit of our history which is easily taken for granted.

The idea had originated in the USA and was brought back to Britain by a member of the AA and in 1919 the AA opened ten filling stations which were staffed by their men in uniform who only sold to AA members.

Needless to say the concept caught on, and Ann went on to document the story through the inter war years and on into the 1960s.

It is a fascinating story but what really draws me to the project are Ann’s pictures which are now themselves a bit of our past.

A few depict petrol pumps and garages which were still standing relatively recently, including a pump at the bottom of Claude Road in Chorlton in south Manchester.

And I bet these pictures will set off a string of memories on the part of readers, who in turn might offer up their images and stories.

There my even be someone who remembers pumping the fuel from the pump by hand, and then checking the quantity in a measuring can, which as Ann observes was justified given that some garage owners fiddled the gauge.

But that is it for now.

Location; everywhere

Pictures; petrol pumps and filling stations 1963-64 from the collection of Ann Love

Stand pipes, petrol pumps, electricity charging points .... the story of 20th travel in 3 objects

Now I guess there are many ways of writing about the revolution in private and public transport during the last century.

Steam and stand pipe, 1949

The bicycle of course has its origins in the 19th century but really comes into its own from 1900 onwards, as does the motor bike while the reliance on horses clung on into the 1950s but had pretty much had its day.

And those stately corporation trams which were everywhere at the start of the 20th century were gone by the middle of that century, and the brief flirtation with trolley buses vanished soon after they were introduced.

All of which just leaves the petrol driven vehicle and its predecessor the steam powered lorry, car, and traction engine.

Petrol pumps, 1920-22

So here for no other reason than I can, are three objects that mark that transformation and point to the next phase which is the electric car.

Petrol pumps, the 1960s

The standpipe was essential for a steam powered lorry, while petrol pumps in their many variations have been with us for a very long time, and now there are the electricity charging points, which can be found at motorway stations, on the streets, and soon in people’s homes.

The delightful drawings of petrol pumps comes from a project my friend Ann undertook in 1964, which described the early history of the petrol pump and was illustrated by her own series of pictures.

I have to confess that I had not really given the petrol pump much thought, but like so many things it is a bit of our history which is easily taken for granted.

The idea had originated in the USA and was brought back to Britain by a member of the AA and in 1919 the AA opened ten filling stations which were staffed by their men in uniform who only sold to AA members.

Electric charging stations, 2009

Needless to say the concept caught on, and Ann went on to document the story through the inter war years and on into the 1960s.

Not perhaps an original idea for a blog story but I like.

Location; the 20th century

Pictures, Lorry, Bury Old Road, near Heaton Park, February 21st, 1949, from the collection of Allan Brown, petrol pumps and filling stations 1963-64 from the collection of Ann Love, three converted Prius Plug-In Hybrids Charging at San Francisco City Hall public recharging station, 2009, Felix Kramer (CalCars). Image retouched with Photoshop and uploaded by User:Mariordo

Perhaps the least exciting story ……. iron covers and petrol cans

Now I am the first to admit that Friday afternoons in February can be slow, and not everyone will see the point in a story about iron covers and old petrol cans, but I can.

More so, because some may soon be lost to us and others just have a history.

I have long been fascinated by those iron coal hole covers, most of which disappeared a long time ago, either to be recycled or just cemented over.*

Like ghost signs, they carry the names of iron foundries, which no longer trade and come in all sorts of designs.

There are still a few here in Chorlton but they will not last another decade.

This one is different, and is relatively new, and gives access not to a coal cellar but a drain.

It can be found outside Morrisons, just past the entrance on the way to the tram stop and I am guessing doesn’t even get a glance from most of those that pass it by.

Nor I suspect will many people think much of this petrol can.**

After all plastic petrol cans can be bought in plenty of shops and warrant little interest unless of course your car has run out of petrol.

But once, along time ago any serious motorist would not have contemplated setting off without a tank of petrol secured in the boot or the side of their car.

In the early years of motoring there were few petrol stations and it was as will to have secured a supply before driving away.

All the big oil and petrol companies supplied their own cans, with the company name or logo emblazoned on the side, and supplies could be obtained from a variety of different places, ranging  from iron mongers to blacksmiths.

What makes this one a little different is that it belonged to the GPO and was collected by my old friend David Harrop.

Location; everywhere

Pictures; metal drain cover, 2019, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and GPO petrol can, circa 1920, courtesy of David Harrop

*Coal Holes, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=coal+holes


**Petrol Pumps, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=petrol+pumps

Our lost petrol pumps ....... now that's a zippy title

Now, I am back with petrol stations and petrol pumps, courtesy of Ann Love who in 1964 completed a project on the history of all thing’s petrol.

Cornbrook

And today, here are two pictures by Ann illustrating the garages.

Like her, I am not captivated by the unimaginative “box”, but I am drawn to it because it was Cornbrook, which has undergone great changes over the last few decades and continues to do so.

For what were garages, workshops, warehouses and terraced housing became empty wasteland and is now full of new development.

I will check but our garage I am sure is no more, and so joins its 1920s counterpart as a lost piece of our petrol history.

One of the few pre 1920 garages

But one that Ann has saved.

Location; everywhere














Pictures; petrol pumps and filling stations 1963-64 from the collection of Ann Love