Sackville Street - Volvo Dealership

[Honeysuckle Rose]

Does anyone remember the John Wallwork Volvo dealership that used to be on Sackville Street during the 70s?  I worked there for a few years, along with my mum.  It was one of the nicest jobs I have ever had.  I have very fond memories of it. 

[Windmill]

Does anyone remember the John Wallwork Volvo dealership that used to be on Sackville Street during the 70s?  I worked there for a few years, along with my mum.  It was one of the nicest jobs I have ever had.  I have very fond memories of it. 

I remember John Wallworks very well as I worked there too! I recall their Volvo P1800 sports demo car, Reg No: AP1800, John and Barry Wallwork, Aytoun Street where we had to push all the old bangers back into the garage before closing and in Winter it was evil work. I was even given the use of a Volvo as a wedding car to take me to the airport!
I think it was before your time perhaps as I left in 1970 I think. I worked as a salesman in Sackville Street and, like you they were some of the happiest days in my life. I live in France now and always smile when I pass a Volvo on the road. 

[Honeysuckle Rose]

It was so great to hear from you. 


I'll tell you who I remember, maybe some of them were around when you were there.  John and Barry, of course - you could always tell when "the old man"was there because you could hear him - Martin Ingham, Mike Sunderland, Alan Cooper, David Mugglestone (he was said to be a hypochondriac) :-), and a few others. 


Sackville St was the nuttiest place to work, everybody had an offbeat sense of humour and I just loved every minute of it.  Especially having my mum working there as well.   

[Honeysuckle Rose]

Also there was John Bacon - how could I forget him - and Bob Kirkham, who was the Sales Manager and Ted Randall.

[Windmill]

Ah yes, I remember most of those names. Was it David that drove the dark blue company van? I liked him.
I was wrong about Aytoun Street being where we pushed the cars inside. It was the place used as a workshop and stores off Pollard Street. Vulcan Works?
I remember Martin Ingham well as we worked together in Aytoun Street. He is still selling cars from home and exotic ones too.
Were you and your Mum working there before 1970?
Oh Happy Days! 

[Honeysuckle Rose]

I don't think that David would have driven a van.  At least not when I was there because he was a salesman at the time, so he probably had a company car.  He was very tall and thin.  Bob Kirkham used to call him "our skeleton staff". 


Yes, Vulcan Works was off Pollard St.  That was where my mum first started work.  A while after, the old man "told" her that from next Monday she would be his new secretary at Sackville St.  I had just left a job and they, apparently, needed someone on the switchboard at Sackville St too.  When Barry found out I was unemployed, he told mum to "bring her in, she can start tomorrow".  Easiest job I ever got!!


No, we weren't there before 1970.  It was 1972, I think, when we started.


I am surprised at what you mentioned about Martin, as I had heard something quite different.  Are you sure about this?  I really hope that you are.


Oh yes, they were indeed happy days!! 

[Windmill]

Regarding Martin I last spoke to him some seven years ago and he seems to be operating from home. Do a Google search for martin ingham cars.
P.S. If you know otherwise I would be very interested to hear. Please email me if you can.

[m2644]

Thanks for the hypochondriac comment Honeysuckle Rose....!!!!!
I started in 1968 to replace Paul Proctor. I worked with John Bacon and Derek Brown at Sackville Street. The place was never the same after Derek Brown left and bought the Newsagents at Valley Anglesey. Richard Young came in to replace him. There was another salesman there latterly who lived at Stoke - thin  - looked a bit like Buddy Holly. Bill Morascus operated the petrol pumps.
After we moved to the new premises I left in 1972/3. Bob Kirkham wasn't the Sales Manager - he covered the Volvo Dealers in the North West and serviced their needs as Wallworks was the area distributor . We had 3 Sales Managers in my time at Sackville Street. The first, John Leeson, wore wedged heel shoes because he wasn't too tall. The second John Taylor came from down south. Thin face with glasses and receding hair - a nice guy when you got to know him. He was an expert on horses.. Then there was John Ledgard a biggish guy.
Mike Sunderland was known as 'Boots' - he worked with Martin - known as 'Stingham Ingham' at Aytoun Street with Alan Cooper who raced Go Karts - a really nice guy - small with a centre parting. Someone told me Martin worked at the VW garage in Bury at one stage.
We all drove Demonstrators which were changed every 6 months. I normally drove the Estate Cars - Derek the 144S and John Bacon at one time had a 144GL. Until latterly all the cars had an 11 registration number.
Carol worked in the office next to the sales office with Barbara (?) and at on stage a pretty coloured girl with a nice smile called Lulu. The girls were always complaining, rightly so, about our language.
Bob Woods was in charge of the garage at the back of the showroom. He answered the phone one day and thinking he was talking to someone else asked 'is Wally there' he got the reply 'Wally speaking' - it was of course 'the old man' as he was known - John Cyril Wallwork - his car reg was JCW 1. Barry's registration number was always AP 1800. Barry was a really nice guy even after I scraped his P1800ES - he only had one lung and we were told not to come in if we had a cold as he couldn't afford to catch it. As far as I know no one ever abused it and threw 'a sickie'.
Frank Walsh worked with Donald Sinclair the service manager at Vulcan Works on Pollard Street.
Ted Randall was the driver and one of his sons Alf fitted radios and other electrics. Edward, his other son, painted the floor at Sackville Street and one time painted over a dead mouse!
I was diagnosed with an incurable bone disease in 1980 and never worked again.
Good times.

[Limey]

Can anyone tell me if John Wallwork is still kicking around please?
 
I would like to make contact with him, not about Volvos but about 1950's sports car racing which I believed he dabbled in at one time.
 
 

[celeste]

http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/John-Wallwork-GB.html
 
Was he quite well-known in racing circles then?

[Limey]

I have just joined the forum, so thanks for your reply.
 
I don't think John Wallwork raced a lot but what he did was quite good. I tried to post the link but was not permitted but I just realised that you have posted exactly the link I wanted. Many thanks. More detail can be had from buttons on that link.

There maybe more but I have not spend a lot of time on this.

[celeste]

Quote:
1976 M10B competitors: Phillips (400-03), Harris (400-06A), Godfrey Crompton (400-07) and Robinson (400-22 wrecked). There is no mention of Coughlan & Le Tissier's car (400-04) in 1976 but it's probably still with them.  The career of Ravenscroft's 400-12 appears to have ceased but that might be the car of fellow Sprint specialist John Wallwork.

CarHistoryCurrent ownerMcLaren F5000 tub
      (1974) Mike Sullivan (Salisbury) advertised a Formula 5000 McLaren tub             in August 1974. There were March tubs also being sold       in a garage clear out. Nothing more known.UnknownMcLaren F5000
      (1974)John Wallwork "whose            F5000 McLaren seized on the line while waiting to start its first practice run" at the Isle of Man sprint in Sep 1974.
 
This may jog someone's memory if these names are recognized

[Limey]

You are one step ahead of me Celeste. It seems he sprint raced some really hairy cars in the 1970's, with particular mention of Isle of Man events. He had a Brabham which he competed in 1972-73. He ran a McClaren M10B which "spectacularly blew up on the start line" in the IOM in 1974 but won the Isle of Man sprint the following year ( possibly the Longton & District Motor Club event?). He used it again in 76.
 
+ an interesting Volvo connection, as there is a mention that he raced with a friend Matt Walker, who later raced a VOLVO 346 V6 ! Maybe someone knows that guy too?
 
 

[celeste]

Maybe one of these may know him -
http://www.oldracingcars.com/drivers/watn/?Letter=W
 
Welcome to the forum

[Limey]

All very interesting but I dare not sidetrack too much, as my main quest is to find out if John Wallwork is OK and if anyone can help me to make contact and it seemed this thread is full of those who may well know.