Morning and thanks for the replies, don’t know how I missed that Leyland being Vardy’s, I thought the the colour scheme was familiar !!
IIRC Vardy Transport morphed into Vardy Vans and they had a few box vans. One was driven by a lad from Wrekenton, nicknamed “Sailor” and parked the van in our yard. He would be away all week delivering Coffins made at Atkinsons Joinery at Penshaw to undertakers around the country.
I think George Vardy started on his own with some plant and tippers. Used to often see a JCB and a couple of six wheel tippers on minor road works around Durham City.
tyneside:
Morning and thanks for the replies, don’t know how I missed that Leyland being Vardy’s, I thought the the colour scheme was familiar !!
IIRC Vardy Transport morphed into Vardy Vans and they had a few box vans. One was driven by a lad from Wrekenton, nicknamed “Sailor” and parked the van in our yard. He would be away all week delivering Coffins made at Atkinsons Joinery at Penshaw to undertakers around the country.
I think George Vardy started on his own with some plant and tippers. Used to often see a JCB and a couple of six wheel tippers on minor road works around Durham City.
Tyneside
I went to school with Peter Vardy and his brother (I can’t remember his first name) Reg at the time drove a Rolls Royce and had the old garage which appears to be still there behind the garage which is now up for sale on the left hand side travelling from Durham. At the time it was a Ford dealership but I think he specialised on used cars which morphed into Rolls Royce which lead to the Specialised cars dealership under Peter’s tenure.
My memory is rather rusty these days but I think I’m right that Reg died relatively young leaving the business to the two brothers. Peter bought out his brother who emigrated and Peter developed the business.
I remember calling with my dad in about 1982 at the Jaguar garage which was by then at the other side of the road. My Mercedes was 3 years old and I wanted to replace it with a new Jaguar XJ. When we walked into the showroom Peter recognising us walked straight over as he at that time although owning the business was working as salesman. He knew me from school days and had met my dad and several functions and also knew him.
I really liked the jaguar particularly the piped leather upholstery which was a rather expensive extra & on the way back to Spennymoor my dad had persuaded me to order a new Mercedes S class telling my to think with my head & not my heart as the Mercedes would hold its value whilst the bottom would drop out of the Jaguar
As I said Peter was still working in the showroom & that was 1982 Within the next 15 years or so he built it up from the two showroom business (A very valuable one) to 100 site dealership which he sold in a multi million pound deal to Pendragon owners of Evans Halshaw and Stratstones.I often wonder what his brother thought about selling his shares at such an early stage. I believe the haulage operations were owned by Reg Vardy’s brother’s family Peter’s uncle & cousins
The transport company was A. Vardy & Sons
This was the original Vardy busines. A. Vardy was the father and Reg and Ted were his sons.
Reg bought an field at Stoneygate where he started a second hand car business using a wooden hut as the offce.
This was before the strict planning regulations of today whe te initial and subsequent development would not have been allowed
To correct a number of errors in other posts Reg had three sons, David, Peter and, I think John.
Ted Vardy had a daughter who married Edwin Thirlwell who was a auucessful businessman operating an ice cream busines
and Prontaprint which both operated with francisees. They are the parents of Angus Thirlwell who is co-founder of Hotel Chocolat a fast growing and very profitable company,
Reg Vardy died in 1976 having bought out Ted’s interest in the haulage business.
David ran the haulage side from Hetton-le-Hole and took the company into general haulage alongside te th tippers
Peter worked on the car sales side and moved into luxury cars and became dealers ior Rolls Royce and Aston Martin. John was the one who emigrated and sold his interest in the company
Peter took the company public and it was eventually taken over.
David and their sister retained their interest in the company
The general haulage side was not successful and the tipper side declined with the closure of mines and steelworks and eventually folded
David became more involved with the family charities and was at one time a director of Eddie Stobart
The Vardys have started a new motor dealership in which I believe David’s son is actively involved,
Leyland600:
Was this Atkinson an ex Dobson’s of Edinburgh motor Larry ?
Hi “Leyland600”, It was an ex Dobsons moter, My cousin bought it from a lime spreading Co, Gillan Bros Ltd Perth, The tipper body was capoot, So he replaced it with the one in the picture, It came off a 6 wheel Foden Hence the very large greedy boards, It was a good wagon Gardner 6 LX 150.6 Speed David Brown Gearbox, Regards Larry.
G Lowdon Ltd Seaton Burn.
