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The Black Country Living Museum’s annual vehicle rally,
The Festival of Black Country Vehicles, was held on Sunday 28th July 2013. The
event celebrates the once-important Black Country
vehicle manufacturing industry which employed many
thousands of people in large factories. The industry
rapidly grew in the 1920s, an era that was well
represented at the rally. Entries from that time
included cars made by Clyno, the country’s third largest
car manufacturer in the late 1920s, a Sunbeam Tourer
from another once-large company, two Star cars, three Bean
cars, a Bean lorry, and many A.J.S. and Sunbeam
motorcycles.
The industry also flourished in the
1950s and 1960s, another era well represented at the
rally. There were cars built by Jensen, Turner Sports,
and Swallow; Guy commercial vehicles, and DMW motorcycles.
More modern times were represented by Rickmans, Quantums,
and Westfields. |
Some of the older cars that were on display.
The vast array of motorcycles that greeted the
visitors.
The line-up of commercial vehicles.
| The highlight of the day was a series of cavalcades
during which the vehicle owners could drive their vehicles
around the museum’s twenty six acre site to recapture the
sights and sounds of bygone motoring. |
Some of the motorcyclists begin their first
lap of the site.
Leaving the village for the first time.
Nearing the end of their last lap.
The pace car driven by Brian Rollings, with
Trevor Davies on the back seat.
The car cavalcade.
Two Guys and a Bean lorry in action.
The two Guy coaches head towards the hill.
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Over one hundred locally made vehicles
were on display, and background music was supplied by a
traditional jazz band. There were also indoor displays about
local vehicle manufacturers by Bev Parker, a sale of
second-hand books by Roy and Heather Lote, and a sale of old
tools by the mine.
The vehicles came from as far afield as
the Wirral, Central Wales, Warrington, Bristol, Swindon,
Derbyshire, and Milton Keynes. The visitors and entrants
alike also enjoyed the many things to see and do at the
museum. |
Bean, Sunbeam, Swallow, and Jensen cars.
Clynos, and Turner Sports cars.
Jensens.
Some of the visitors inspect the motorcycles.
A few of the many visitors on the day.
Several Quantums.
The Westfields.
The Rickmans.
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The greatly enjoyable, and friendly
event, was made possible thanks to the hard work and
dedication of a team of museum employees and volunteers.
Special thanks must go to the museum’s Events Coordinator,
Jane Allcock, who worked tirelessly to ensure that
everything was in place on the day, and to the event
organiser Brian Rollings. Thanks must also go to Trevor
Davies who controlled the cavalcades in the pace car, and
members of the museum’s Vehicle Volunteer Group who
booked-in the entries, and helped around the site during the
day. |
The traditional jazz band.
The book sale.
The indoor displays.
Some of the visiting cars.
A final view of the motorcycles.
The museum's ex-Wolverhampton trolleybus
'on its way to Penn'.
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rallies section |
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