THE JOURNAL OF THE FRIENDS OF BUSHEY MUSEUM New Series No. 16 Summer 2019 n Summer 2000, when Bryen Wood Less expected were the articles on asked me to edit a new series of the speedway, Jersey cows and Nelson’s I Journal of the Friends of Bushey sword. I couldn’t have managed Museum, I never thought that I would be without the technical support of Michael writing an introduction to issue Pritchard and latterly Nick Overhead. number 16, the final one with me as The late Bryen Wood, Audrey Adams and editor. I am extremely grateful to the Ian Read have found photographs for me. people over the years who have Thank you to you all. contributed articles on a great variety of subjects; inevitably Herkomer, the Art It’s rewarding to see the finished product School and its students have featured and I hope someone else can be found regularly, but there have been articles on to continue the task. A registered charity in support of Bushey Museum several of the big houses, schools and Janet Murphy Registered Charity 1039713 transport and local people. IN THIS ISSUE Journal Editor 2 Early Motor Cars in Bushey and their Owners 2 Janet Murphy Ian Read on the men and woman Layout and Design and their magnificent machines. Nick Overhead Sanger’s Circus 8 Janet Murphy tells us about the Bushey Museum 8 comings and going of a circus Rudolph Road dynasty. Bushey, Herts WD23 3HW Lucy Kemp-Welch 10 Tel; 020 8420 4057 E; [email protected]. Dr Geri Parlby on Bushey’s well loved artist. Open; Thurs-Sun 11am-4pm World Champion Road Haul 16 The Journal is published by the 10 Ian Read on the heaviest piece of Friends of Bushey Museum machinery ever transported on the and is mailed to all friends and roads at that time. selected local organizations. Contributions on all aspects of God’s Shrine 18 Bushey’s social and artistic history are Allison Fritsche on Herkomer welcome and should be sent direct to the painter so famous and the editor at the Museum. 16 The Friends support the activities of celebrated through his portraits, gave Bushey Museum and can be contacted us a picture without people. via The Secretary, 119 Aldenham Road Bushey, Herts WD23 2LU Out to Play 19 Mollie Thomas remembers the sights © Bushey Museum 2019 and sounds of the 30’s Printed by 18 Index of the Journal 20 Beaver Graphic Service new template Journal summer 2019.indd 1 27/06/2019 14:39 Early Motor Cars in Bushey and Their Owners Hertfordshire Archives & Local Ian Read Studies retains the first two volumes of its register covering the numbers from AR 1 to AR 1930 all in he self-propelled automobile beautiful copperplate handwriting. became increasingly available Regrettably, subsequent volumes from the close of the 19th (and the separate volumes Tcentury with many makers, covering heavy motor cars i.e. buses both British and foreign, vying for and lorries) are missing and do not acceptance of their particular reappear until around 1936. offerings. Although the left-hand ‘rule of the road’ was generally accepted The Motor Car Act also by this time, hardly any other rules introduced the crime of reckless applied and drivers and pedestrians driving; made it an offence not took many years to become fully to display the allocated letters adjusted to the speed and danger and numbers on both ends of the such vehicles presented. The vehicle; required drivers to hold a difficulty in dealing with any driver driving licence from 1 January 1904; who had been adjudged by the local allowed lower speed limits to be constabulary as having been guilty of introduced locally (Bushey village ‘furious driving’ led to the adoption had a 10mph limit for many years); of individual identification letters and required motor cars to have by a local person since cars and and numbers for motorised vehicles. two separate braking systems of motorcycles existed prior to the Horse-drawn vehicles and bicycles adequate ability to slow and halt the implementation of the Act but were were exempted from this process vehicle. not recorded by the authorities, (and still are!). and thus only anecdotal evidence A motor car was an expensive exists of these) was a 10hp (horse The registration of motor ve- acquisition both to buy and to power) Georges Richard light petrol hicles, including motor cycles, was maintain. As such, it was generally car registered to Oscar Gray of made compulsory under the Motor the preserve of the wealthy. The Callenders, Heathbourne Road, Car Act which received Royal Assent Typically, ownership was limited to Bushey Heath. This was finished in on 14 August 1903. This required the local landowner or professional Bordeaux red and black and the proscribed letters and numbers, person such as the local doctor, index number AR 27 is recorded issued by the local authority, to be although there were instances of as issued on 17 December 1903. displayed on the front and rear of motor car enthusiasts either buying This implies that Herts CC did each vehicle. Herts CC issued complete vehicles or not implement its own registration registrations commencing with the experimenting with their own series until some three months after letters AR which were followed constructions made from proprie- enactment of the act. Oscar Gray later by NK, RO and UR. tary components. Learning to handle is recorded in the City of London the new technology on the road Electoral Registers for 1905 and Driving licences were also was an art which some took to 1907 as resident at The Callenders introduced under this Act but an easily whilst others struggled. Many but also holding a joint tenement actual driving test was not of the well-off car owners employed at 1 King William Street, City of introduced until 1935! Until then a chauffeur to drive them – this also London. one simply applied for a licence, increased their social status. although the authorities were very John Pierpont Morgan Junior strict on the need to advise the is- The first motor vehicle registered LLD, DCL1 of Aldenham Abbey suing council of any change of name to a Bushey resident (not (also known as Wall Hall) was a and/or address. necessarily the first to be owned prolific motor car owner. In 2 THE JOURNAL OF THE FRIENDS OF BUSHEY MUSEUM new template Journal summer 2019.indd 2 27/06/2019 14:39 All Pictures are from Bushey Museum Collection unless otherwise stated An early motor car trundles along High Road, Bushey Heath c1905 Episcopal Church, and provided an approaching the junction with The Rutts, on the right, and endowment for the creation of a George Kirby’s cab hire business which is just out of shot to the left (Hoather). rare books and manuscripts collection at the Morgan Library. Morgan brokered a deal that positioned his company as the sole munitions and supplies purchaser during W W I for the British and French governments. The Wall Hall estate was leased to John Pierpont Morgan Jr. in 1901, and was used for social functions, including many sporting parties. He bought it outright in 1910. Although often absent from the estate, he bought up a large amount of surrounding farmland and is thought to have created an Italian Garden. Upon Morgan’s death Hertfordshire County Council acquired the property, which became the residence of the United States of America’s Ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, for the duration of the Second World War. Professor Hubert von Herkomer CVC, RA (1849-1914) was an early and avid supporter and enthusiast of the motor car despite his often vociferous pleading for Bushey to be left as the tranquil village it was when he first established his Art School there. Perhaps he didn’t appreciate what wholesale adoption to W E Pearkes & Sons, the Wat- of the motor car would do to his ford draper and furniture dealer, for beloved village! trade use); AR 36 – 22hp Daimler 6 seater tonneau; 2 AR 37 – an electric brougham man- ufactured by the City & Suburban Company of London; 3 and AR 38 – 10hp Lanchester tonneau which could be converted to a brougham. John Pierpont “Jack” Morgan Jr. (1867-1943) was an American bank- er, finance executive and philanthro- pist. Morgan Jr. inherited the family fortune and took over the business interests including J.P. Morgan & Co. after his father, J. P. Morgan, died in Wikipedia 1913. A graduate of St. Paul’s School Herkomer’s first car – AR 51 – was John Pierpont Morgan Junior and of Harvard, he trained as a a 10hp French Panhard registered finance executive in the business on 19 December 1903 just a few accordance with the new Act he world, having worked for both his days after Herts CC started to registered no fewer than four cars father and grandfather; which would issue numbers to existing vehicles. on 18 December 1903, all of which serve him well as a banking financi- This car weighed 19½ cwt and was were in his livery of dark green lined er and lending leader and he was a painted dark blue. It appears to have out in black. They were: director of several companies. He been fitted with a rudimentary roof AR 35 – a 6hp Daimler Brake supported the New York Lying-In decorated with a fancy fringe. It was (which was sold in December 1909 Hospital, the Red Cross and the sold to a London man in THE JOURNAL OF THE FRIENDS OF BUSHEY MUSEUM 3 new template Journal summer 2019.indd 3 27/06/2019 14:39 December 1904.