Prowling at Panthers

The November article about Panthers in Cleckheaton brought back memories of a short time I worked at P&M, sadly after the liquidators had been called in.

By then just an engineering shop doing subcontract work, I worked upstairs on a Capstan lathe. At lunch time I’d have a wander round, and was quite amazed at what I found. In a storeroom there were pressings for scooter Bradshaw engines, in states of disassembly.

On going downstairs, I passed the paint dip which was still used occasionally. Over a covered walkway, I found myself in the main assembly room. It looked like the Gilera picture in the back of the same magazine issue, with half-assembled bikes (all two-strokes) and brand-new engines, wheels and electrics, which were Miller mostly.

My watering hole of choice was the Commercial Inn, as mentioned in the article. Years later, the remains of the P&M assembly shop was owned by Windsor’s shoe store, before demolition, and now it’s Home Bargains. How times have changed.

Derek Brydon, via email.