Pictures from the Heritage Archives

Serendipity, according to the dictionary is - an unplanned fortunate discovery.

There could not be a better description of the experience a very kind lady related to us when she contacted the Heritage Trust, just a few days past.

For whatever purpose, she was visiting her local recycling centre and spotted someone about to throw a framed picture into the skip. She called out and asked if, as it was being thrown out, might she be allowed to have it. The framed picture was gladly given and she happily returned home. When she started to take the back off to remove the existing picture from the frame she made a surprising discovery. Also acting as backing was the picture shown below.

Now, fortunately for us, this lady is an archivist by profession and she immediately thought this charming picture deserves an appropriate home.

The picture is one taken by the Armstrong Siddeley Motors in house publicity team. It is not a picture that we have in our several thousand strong A.S.M. negative collection. So we were even more pleased when she was happy to make a kind gift of it to the Trust.

 The picture was taken in the middle of August 1946 with the introduction of the Armstrong Siddeley, two litre, 16hp. Typhoon model. One thousand, seven hundred and eight were produce of this car, and production ceased in November 1949. The ‘outside’ coach builder, Mulliners of Birmingham, could not keep up with the demand for the Lancaster saloon and the Hurricane Coupe. At the request of the London distributor, Walter Henley, the factory hurriedly produced this fixed head compromise version. The car was popular and sold well. Not bad for a stop-gap car.

The charming setting for the picture is worth a mention and we expect like us you, dear reader, are wondering where the little girl fits into the story. The A.S.M. photographic team were fortunate to be able to take publicity shots in an area with so many charming villages, so close to Coventry and the factory. New car models pictured against charming properties was a photographic gift!  

We wonder, as it was school holiday time if the girl was the daughter of the A.S.M. driver or the photographer. Or could she be a member of the family who lived in the thatched house behind: the windows are wide open and we are sure the family were aware of the visiting team.

What do you think?