Stevenage stuff

Here is a photo of the Vincent HRD factory with each building identified. Dennis Minett was in charge of the Black Lightning and Grey Flash assembly from 1947 to 1950 before he immigrated to Australia. He signed the photo for me in 1984. The front building was Phillip Vincent’s residence and head office. First on the left was the canteen and tube bending. Behind the residence you had road test and assembly. Behind that was Black Lightning and packing and behind that was the test house. On the right was the machine shop. There is an unusual very thick brick wall between the residence and the adjoining property on the right side. The word was out 40 years ago, that Phillip Vincent encased the last Series D in this wall (not true). I visited Stevenage in 1980 and the buildings were now a school. Not sure now in 2020 if its still there. Further more, Phil Irving told me many years ago that the Canteen Building roof rafters had barnacle impression in the timber.

People thought that the roof rafters were made out of old Viking ships. I stayed in a B&B once in the UK and this reuse of ship timber was also present in the rafters. There was a heritage order on that building, so it must still stand.

Len Withnall

Old Bar, NSW