(By John Reed)
As you all know the Healey 100, as Donald Healey originally
conceived it in 1952, became the Austin Healey after he struck a deal with Leonard
Lord, MD and chief executive of Austin and the British Motor Corporation, at
the motor show launch of the car. The reason for this was the inability of the
Healey factory at Warwick to produce the numbers required, due to the overnight
success of the model together with the fact that the mechanical components were
sourced from Austin. lvor Greening who was normally in charge of the Austin
press demonstration fleet, was there at the time and remembers how they worked
all night to change the stand to reflect this new identity.
Production of the car began at Longbridge in May 1953 and by the summer of that
year the Austin publicity machine had swung in to action to produce the brochure
and associated material in good time for the Motor Show the following autumn.
In August Chief Photographer Ron Beach was asked to produce a series of colour
and black and white pictures for this purpose and decided that Mid Wales would
provide some suitable scenic locations. As there were already high-level contacts
between the factory and the long time Austin distributors for all of mid and
North Wales, the Automobile Palace in Llandrindod Wells, this could have influenced
his decision, but we do not know for sure.
Alan Jones was at that time completing his apprenticeship with a stint in the
Advertising Department at Longbridge and was asked by Ron Beach "Do you
have a cap?" Imagine the thrill of being asked to drive this highly desirable
sports car over to Wales and to be accommodated in a nice hotel, at your employer's
expense! Upon arrival at Llandrindod the car was placed under cover at the Automobile
Palace, no doubt having been cleaned ready for the next day. Mr Tom Norton,
founder and M.D. of the Automobile Palace, detailed his secretaries Eleanor
Scott and Eirwen Davies to be models for the photo shoot.
Ron Beach had originally intended to do his photography on Eppynt so the party
drove out via Llangammarch Wells only to find that low cloud and mist were spoiling
the views. They then returned to Llandrindod where the lakeside shots were taken,
later moving up the hill as the weather had improved, for the photo used on
the cover of the original brochure and also this booklet. In addition to the
colour pictures using 5" X 5" transparencies all the scenes were also
taken in black and white half plate negative size.
In addition to the brochure the pictures were also used in newspaper and magazine
advertisements and on the covers of in house publications such as the "Austin
Magazine" and "Worldwide". Aubrey Edwards, at that time Art Editor
of both titles and later Publications Manager responsible for all Healey brochures
from the 100/6 onwards.
This weekend was the brain child of John Reed, who's special interest is researching Austin publicity material. Having approached Midland Centre with the idea of 50 years on, holding a recreation of the original photo shoot he set about organising this weekend. The venue, as with the original photo shoot, was the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells. Having located original team above, lvor Greening, Alan Jones, Eleanor Scott and Eirwen Davies were able to come along as guests for the weekend. The party comprised about 54 in total, making for a grand social occasion.
John had prepared two spectacular planed drives for us. Saturday morning, the drive took us to a coffee stop at the Cambrian Woollen Mill. Following this we were treated to a blast up Eppynt, a magnificent climb with fantastic views from the top. The view included a large black cloud heading towards us, dispensing copious quantities of rain over the valley below, so the stop was brief and fortunately, the return route through Builth Wells managed to keep us bathed in sunshine.
Following lunch at the hotel, we moved out to the lakeside to set about recreating the original photo shoot. David Morgan had his immaculate red Healey 100 all ready for the occasion and in accordance with the original photograph, duly positioned it beside the lake with the boathouse in the background. The problem was that the boat house is now hidden by foliage. Also, a sign post had grown up behind the car. After much deliberation from the assembled photographers, David was instructed to move his car forward a few feet. Whilst this lost the sign, it gained a park bench. John was prepared for this one, having brought a socket set and some WD40 with the intention of removing the bench. However, further examination of the fixing bolts dissuaded us from pursuing this strategy. Making the best of the situation, the original driver, Alan Jones was asked to take the wheel. David was asked if Alan could borrow his cap, "funny" said Alan, "I seem to remember that I had to borrow a cap last time!" Eleanor and Eirwen took up position and the shutters started to click. All satisfied, we moved up the hill for the next location. This time it was the lake that had disappeared behind the now much larger trees. After much deliberation over the original photographs, Bob Kemp, our official photographer found himself lying prone in the middle of the road to achieve the correct camera angle. This left the occupants of passing cars wondering whether to phone for an ambulance.
Sunday morning, all assembled across the road from the hotel for a group photograph. There followed the second of the planned drives via Knighton and Clun to Mongomery for a lunch stop at the Dragon Hotel. We could not have wished for better roads, the scenery was stunning, the roads were challenging but well surfaced, and best of all, there was hardly any other traffic. Not once did we get stuck behind a Sunday driver or a lorry. Following lunch, those staying on for a third night continued on to Welshpool where the narrow gauge railway was holding its Centenary Gala, before returning to the hotel.
Our thanks go to John Reed for conceiving and organising such a memorable weekend and to Mell Ward for handling the application forms and finances. Many were commenting that it was one of the best weekends that they had been on and one that should be repeated in the future.
Robin Astle.
Everybody except Bob Kemp, the photographer.
John & Elizabeth Reed cresting the summit of Eppynt.
Photographer's Dilema
The Original Cast: Alan Jones, Eleanor Scott and Eirwen Davies
The second location.
The original photograph.
John & Heather Wheatley
If you go down to the woods today....
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Mid Wales, August 1953 |
In August 1953, many of the photographs used in the brochure for the 100 were taken in Mid Wales, centred around the attractive spa town of Llandrindod Wells. Our weekend takes you to these locations, combined with some terrific driving over scenic routes just made for our cars. Take part in recreating the photo shoots, and you will also have the opportunity to meet some of the people originally involved in publicising the cars at our Celebrity Dinner on Staurday evening. A two night package, with full breakfast, the use of the indoor leisure facilities and pool at our well appointed hotel together with the Celebrity Dinner will be approximately £120 per person. Security for your car overnight will be included. Unfortunately, numbers at this event will have to be limited, so an early response is advisable. For further details, contact John Reed on 01989 780439, or write to him at the Old Barn,Perrystone Hill, Ross on Wye, Herrefordshire HR9 7QX.. |
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Compare with the magazine cover above! |
The Metropole Hotel, in the Victorian Spa town of Llandrindod Wells, has been fortunate to host many motor vehicle rallies during its long history. From competitive events, such as the Monte Carlo rally during the l950's to social vintage rallies. Over the last 20 years these have included the Bentley Driver Club, the Veteran Car Club, Rolls Royce Enthusiasts and MG Car Club just to name a few. One great story concerning the Metropole was when Raymond Baxter was commentating on the Monte Carlo Rally his comments began "I am in the 3rd coldest place on earth, the North Pole, The South Pole and the Metropole". Fortunately, since those days central heating has been installed and the coal scuttles removed.
Why do they choose the Metropole? The answer to this is two fold. Firstly, the hotel provides 122 en suite bedrooms and comfortable elegant surroundings. Our spacious dining rooms and ballroom can provide relaxed dining with delicious cuisine or banqueting for over 250 people. After a long day behind the wheel or map, our indoor leisure complex with sauna and steam room, 54 foot swimming pool and exercise machines offers an ideal way to unwind. Or alternatively our two bars provide popular meeting points. Of importance to all car enthusiasts, we can offer a large car park and will be happy to organise security should this be required.
The hotel is, of course, only one element of a motoring weekend. The second are the tremendous open roads that exist throughout Mid Wales, from high mountain passes such as the Devils Staircase between Beaulah and Tregarron or fast open roads such as the A44 from Rhayader to Aberystwyth. The scenery is spectacular, congestion minimal and all in all, a wonderful motoring experience.
Leisure Facilities
Great Uncle Francis built The Metropole's first swimming pool in 1935. It was
outdoor, 120 feet long, and the largest in Wales. Today on the same site stands
the Francis Leisure Complex. In keeping with the style of the hotel, the complex
is situated within a Victorian style conservatory.
The 54 feet kidney-shaped pool has a jet swimming stream and is kept at a constant
85 degrees Celsius. Next to the pool guests can relax in the whirlpool or burn
off a little energy on the three aerobic fitness machines.
Within the complex there is also a Health Suite with sauna, steam room and Beauty Centre where a full range of treatments from manicure to massage are available.
