Old Garages

Many old garages are no longer in use. Most of them get a new function as a shop or superstore, others become just old and detoriate over the years. Some are demolished.

In many towns and villages the remains of old garage buildings can still be seen.

This page is to bring together photos of these old remains of the times of the open road.

An old Hillman,Sunbeam, Humber dealership in the Kerkstraat, Stavenisse, Holland sept 2004

The garage of the Willnes family at the Voorweg in Oostvoorne, Holland during the nineteen seventies (photo www.rutgerbooy.nl)

Prins Hendrikkade, Noordereiland, Rotterdam,Holland Sept 2004. (photo www.rutgerbooy.nl)

A garage on the Rijksstraatweg in Hellevoetsluis, Holland which was probably erected early part of the 20th century by later Chevrolet dealer P & D Roeloffs. He basicly started off as a cycle shop & factory called "De Telegraaf" but was also one of the very early motorists in Holland with two petrol engined cars registered in his name under number 559 on October 18th 1904.

He advertised as trading in and servicing cars and motorbikes as early as may 1904. Also kept a stock of petrol.

Picture showing Roeloffs with a 1927 Chevrolet. Also note the Gilbert & Barker type 8 petrolpump. It reads "benzine" on the globe and the pump body carries the letters A.P.C. In the May 1928 advert he calles himself "The first car garage".

Later a major competitor of Roeloffs became a company called "De Telefoon". The building still stands today as a computershop

In 1930 Roeloffs has also a company in the nearby town of Brielle together with Noordermeer. The garage is created in a very old building at the "Zuideinde" and there is an ESSO pump a the pavement. It was called "gasthuis garage".

The building still stands in 2006 and is currently being reconstructed into ?

Almost opposite Roeloffs & Noordermeer started in 1847 blacksmith A. de Baan. In 1898 he also started trading and reparing bicycles which is still be done by the same family today. Also taxi's from 1918. Next to Roeloffs & Noordermeer they also ran a motorcycle shop (picture on the right)

Also in Brielle was the Ford dealer "Centraal Garage". the building still stands and is now a shop.

In the same village of Nieuwenhoorn at Dorpsstraat A81 was a garage owned by J. van Marion. It was named "Voorne & Putten" and serviced Ford's. Later they also had Studebaker, Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam and Talbot.

Another view of their workshop. As this place was not suitable for a showroom he had a seperate showroom on a different spot in Nieuwenhoorn.

There is even a picture of the inside of the showroom. Mind you the car in the back ground were just painted. It was too small for four cars.

Van Marion advertised with two year free service where your car could be maintaned once every month at your house.

And this is how the showroom looks today (picture taken from the other side)

Much later they moved to a different adres at Rijksstraatweg in the same village where they started a DAF Trucks dealership in 1955 and from 1959 also DAF cars. Nowadays this location is a waste depot.

At the Boomweg between Oostvoorne and Rockanje (NL) a cycle and motor repair shop was established by A. de Bruin in the early part of the twentieth century. During the late twenties a kerbside Texaco petrolpump was added to the activities.

Although the pump is no longer there and the cycleshop closed the buildings still stand in 2007

Also at the Boomweg but closer towards Rockanje there has been a general garage

Garage "Jan Jacob" at the Scharnerweg 165 in Maastricht (NL). Originally build as Garage Fisette a large Ford dealer, see also http://rutgerbooy.nl/Jan_Wingen_decoratieschilder.htm Jan Jacob is now busy restoring old motorcars in this building. 2006

Garage J.L. van Bussel N.V. in the Johan Camphuysstraat 225, The Hague N.L. Started his garage in 1919 selling Essex and Hudson motorcars. Probably finished in 1935. Only some letters on the side of the building remember of J.L. van Bussel.

A typical French garage as can be seen today. Modernised, but based on an older building. Located in Monthermé. (2006)

Donald Healeys garage at Perranporth UK taken in the 1920's, next to it as it is today

And in the same place an equelly grand old garage called Down End Garage & Co.

A fifties building specially build to accomodate a Dunlop Agricultural Tyre Depot in Plymouth.

In Calington, Cornwall you will not be able to find this beautifull garage back, it is now clad in modern sheet metal unfortunately. It used to house Glover & Uglow which had an ERA racing car in their showrooms. On the right the current situation with the building in new cladding.

Roeleveld Shell 1937 Rijksstraatweg Breukelen. (NL) (Eduard Hattema Collection)

Packard dealer on the left picture and later after placing a new building on the same spot Neep Citroendealer, Coevorden NL.

Ford garage Van Berkum Coevorden NL. They were located at a corner of Bentheimerstraat and Singel. Later converted into an IT-Shop and now demolished.Part of the tiling and the form of the roof can be seen on the remaining workshop wall.

During mobilisation shortly before WW2 soldiers were stationed nearby to guard the local bridge.They had confiscated a Ford from Van Berkum for transport.

Two further stages of berkum, both post war, on the rh picture there is a used car centre where another building was replaced.

Garage J.Thedinga at the Hoofdstraat in Emmen NL. Ford dealer. Thedinga moved here coming from another location in 1916. Picture in the middle shows added pumps.

An old unused garage at the main junction of Eksel in Belgium, wonder what will happen to it in the future ? (photo 2006 Jan Stellingwerf)

This garage has a notice attached to the window that permission will be granted to alter this building so Etienne Willems was just in time to capture this view of Antoine Coopman's S.O.S garage before it disappears for ever. Located in Steenbrugge near Oostkamp Belgium. When still in operation it had some Fina fuelpumps in the forecourt.

A garage captured by Bruno Costers at the Piers de Raveschootlaan in Knokke Belgium. Why Minerva ?

`Lenham Garage` pictured by Jan Stellingwerf in Harrietsham, England sept 2006, at the corner of West Street and Station Road. Many hardtops were produced here in the past.

An old garage formerly Ford agent in Hadleigh Suffolk, pictured by Rob Wagemaker aug 2007

An old Citroën garage somewhere in the middle of France, photographed by Patrick van de Kerkhof in 2007

Some more garage by Jan Stellingwerf spotted around Montgomery (NW of Birmingham) October 2009:

A former garage now a restaurant garagerest.com‎ spotted by Joris Bergsma at 7th Avenue near Christopher street, Greenwich Village, NY

Erik van Garderen reports this garage at Oude Kerkstraat 32, Utrecht, Holland, where his family ran a removal bussines before 1940. Originally build as stables it was modified to accomodate maintenance of the company fleet. Quite rare is the Sinco petrolpump. The building is now a place where you can learn eastern fighting techniques.