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True Tale of a BSA Trike by Jonathan Lines
December 1998
December 1998
This story starts in the May/June of 1997 when I was asked if I would be interested
in pricing a complete redecoration on a cottage, which I was told by the builder,
Colin Shipton, was in a very bad state of disrepair.
He said to meet him at the cottage to have a look around and told me it was just a few miles along the road from Spaldwick, Huntingdonshire.
The next evening I drove there and saw Colin's pick- up truck parked on the grass verge. I parked a little way behind and got out, but I couldn't see any cottage. I kept walking towards the pick-up truck and as I got closer I could just make out a cottage behind a very overgrown hedge and large chestnut trees. I went through the gate and knocked on the door. Colin answered and asked me in.
I walked into a room where I could not believe my eyes. It was like stepping back 50 years or more in time. Cobwebs on vases and ornaments, full of furniture, I squeezed through for a look. The only heating being a paraffin heater and just one cold tap in the kitchen. To cut a long story short, I got the job of redecorating the cottage. As time went by I eventually got to meet the lady of the house. The lady and her hus- band had been away while the refurbishment was going on. As I was the last person working there, they both decided to move back in. The lady in her 80's, the husband in his late 70's, they had several carers who looked after them.
One day I was chatting to one of the carers. She said there was an old car in the shed down the garden, which she thought to be a Morgan three wheeler. So I finished my coffee and thought I would go for a look. I fought my way through the undergrowth and found the shed that was locked, so I looked through a crack in the door. All I could see was a chrome headlight on a wing.
I got to know the lady very well over a period of time. One day I asked her what it was and whether she would like to sell it. She told me it was a BSA Trike 1934, four cylinder. When it came to selling it, she wasn't too keen because it meant a lot to her. Her father had bought it as a 21st birthday present when it was a few months old. As time went by she agreed to sell it to me.
A lot of people had got to know about it and she feared that someone might steal it, as the shed it was kept in was unsecured. A couple of people had approached her over the years and offered money for it. She told me she would prefer to sell it to someone local who she knew would restore it, so she might be able to see it again.
A price was agreed. The day for collection came. My brother in law Steve, who is a mechanic, "very handy", and I went to the cottage. Money and documents were exchanged. The lady said it was a very sad day but also a happy one because it was going to someone who was going to restore it, look after it and the main thing, keep it. After saying goodbye I once more fought my way through the undergrowth with the keys to unlock the doors to the shed. Steve had already started to dig the soil, nettles etc. away from the doors.
Eventually we managed to open one door and I took a few photos. There she was,
the BSA covered in cobwebs and dust, with three
very perished tyres in the dusty soil floor. With no trouble we pushed it out, it hadn't
seen daylight for many years. With its cream body and hood, the mudguards, wheels
and seat had beer painted burgundy in the early 50's, with the original paint under-
neath showing through which was green.
We got the BSA home for a closer look, which revealed it was in a very good condition with no rot to the ash frame or plywood floor, which had still got the body tag fixed to the floor under the carpet, driver's side. The engine turned over easily and with some oil and paraffin down the plug holes and some fresh petrol in the carb, it started after about four pulls on the starting handle. With a cloud of dust and spiders shooting out of the exhaust pipe, the oil pressure gauge came up to pressure quickly and it settled down to a steady tick over. All this was all the more remarkable con- sidering we believe it has not been used since the early 50's.
We are now restoring the trike sympathetically, avoiding the temptation to get carried away and end up with it in a thousand pieces, as it would be a shame to spoil its incredible originality. Just repairing the necessary parts, concentrating on preserving it, with the intention of having it roadworthy again for next summer's 70th anniversary of the BSA trike.
From time to time I pop in and have a chat and a cup of tea with the lady I bought it from. I could go on but I won't. Just one more thing -1 would like to thank Ray Young and Rob Gould who came over one wet windy night in January and had a look, telling me what model it was - a TW 34-10 Special Sports Deluxe - which explained its several unusual features, such as bright green and cream bodywork, chrome gear lever and steering column, green dashboard and steering wheel, and still having its original single small rear lamp.
He said to meet him at the cottage to have a look around and told me it was just a few miles along the road from Spaldwick, Huntingdonshire.
The next evening I drove there and saw Colin's pick- up truck parked on the grass verge. I parked a little way behind and got out, but I couldn't see any cottage. I kept walking towards the pick-up truck and as I got closer I could just make out a cottage behind a very overgrown hedge and large chestnut trees. I went through the gate and knocked on the door. Colin answered and asked me in.
I walked into a room where I could not believe my eyes. It was like stepping back 50 years or more in time. Cobwebs on vases and ornaments, full of furniture, I squeezed through for a look. The only heating being a paraffin heater and just one cold tap in the kitchen. To cut a long story short, I got the job of redecorating the cottage. As time went by I eventually got to meet the lady of the house. The lady and her hus- band had been away while the refurbishment was going on. As I was the last person working there, they both decided to move back in. The lady in her 80's, the husband in his late 70's, they had several carers who looked after them.
One day I was chatting to one of the carers. She said there was an old car in the shed down the garden, which she thought to be a Morgan three wheeler. So I finished my coffee and thought I would go for a look. I fought my way through the undergrowth and found the shed that was locked, so I looked through a crack in the door. All I could see was a chrome headlight on a wing.
I got to know the lady very well over a period of time. One day I asked her what it was and whether she would like to sell it. She told me it was a BSA Trike 1934, four cylinder. When it came to selling it, she wasn't too keen because it meant a lot to her. Her father had bought it as a 21st birthday present when it was a few months old. As time went by she agreed to sell it to me.
A lot of people had got to know about it and she feared that someone might steal it, as the shed it was kept in was unsecured. A couple of people had approached her over the years and offered money for it. She told me she would prefer to sell it to someone local who she knew would restore it, so she might be able to see it again.
A price was agreed. The day for collection came. My brother in law Steve, who is a mechanic, "very handy", and I went to the cottage. Money and documents were exchanged. The lady said it was a very sad day but also a happy one because it was going to someone who was going to restore it, look after it and the main thing, keep it. After saying goodbye I once more fought my way through the undergrowth with the keys to unlock the doors to the shed. Steve had already started to dig the soil, nettles etc. away from the doors.
Eventually we managed to open one door and I took a few photos. There she was,
the BSA covered in cobwebs and dust, with three
very perished tyres in the dusty soil floor. With no trouble we pushed it out, it hadn't
seen daylight for many years. With its cream body and hood, the mudguards, wheels
and seat had beer painted burgundy in the early 50's, with the original paint under-
neath showing through which was green.We got the BSA home for a closer look, which revealed it was in a very good condition with no rot to the ash frame or plywood floor, which had still got the body tag fixed to the floor under the carpet, driver's side. The engine turned over easily and with some oil and paraffin down the plug holes and some fresh petrol in the carb, it started after about four pulls on the starting handle. With a cloud of dust and spiders shooting out of the exhaust pipe, the oil pressure gauge came up to pressure quickly and it settled down to a steady tick over. All this was all the more remarkable con- sidering we believe it has not been used since the early 50's.
We are now restoring the trike sympathetically, avoiding the temptation to get carried away and end up with it in a thousand pieces, as it would be a shame to spoil its incredible originality. Just repairing the necessary parts, concentrating on preserving it, with the intention of having it roadworthy again for next summer's 70th anniversary of the BSA trike.
From time to time I pop in and have a chat and a cup of tea with the lady I bought it from. I could go on but I won't. Just one more thing -1 would like to thank Ray Young and Rob Gould who came over one wet windy night in January and had a look, telling me what model it was - a TW 34-10 Special Sports Deluxe - which explained its several unusual features, such as bright green and cream bodywork, chrome gear lever and steering column, green dashboard and steering wheel, and still having its original single small rear lamp.
