Motor delivers family’s FOURTH bride
1927 AUSTIN USED TO KEEP UP TRADITION STARTED BY MUM AND AUNT AND FOLLOWED BY TWO DAUGHTERS
A bride has followed a family tradition of being driven to her wedding in the same vintage car .
Victoria Thompson followed in the footsteps of her aunt, mum and older sister by using the same vintage wedding car, named Georgina, which her grandfather lovingly restored.
The 29-year-old, from Easington, who works for a legal company, travelled in the Austin 12 to Beamish Hall, where she wed her husband, Scott, 33, a tax adviser.
Nine years ago, Georgina had a starring role when she took Victoria’s older sister, Lyndsey Charlton, 38, to Holy Trinity Church, in Murton, for her wedding to Steve.
In 1976, the girls’ mum, Elizabeth Fraser, now 67, rode in Georgina to the same church to marry husband Gordon, 67, and in 1967 her sister, Sarah Carter, travelled to her wedding at St Andrew’s Church, in Dalton-le-Dale, to marry Ken.
The car, originally built in 1927, was brought back to its former glory by the late Jack Wake, Elizabeth and Sarah’s dad, who restored it at his Autodrome Garage, in Murton, after it was found broken down in a barn.
The car was sold by the family shortly after Elizabeth’s wedding and they unfortunately lost track of it.
But when they spotted a photograph of the vehicle in the Echo at a vintage car rally, they did some detective work and found out it belonged to car enthusiast Alan Griffiths, who lives in Seaham.
The Frasers managed to track down Alan and, of course, Georgina.
He agreed to act as chauffeur so Lyndsey could use Georgina for her big day, and then again this month for Victoria, who is mum to one-year-old Charlie.
Elizabeth, who lives in Hawthorn, said of Victoria’s wedding: “It was a fantastic day – everything was beautiful.
“It meant so much to us for Victoria to be able to use the car and be able to keep the family tradition going.”
“It meant so much to keep the family tradition going” ELIZABETH FRASER