Can anyone tell me about Innes Ireland’s tuning establishment in Golden Acres, Elstead?
I’ve read that in 1958 a number of Lotus Eleven entrants were having their cars prepared and transported to meetings by Innes Ireland Ltd. Perhaps the most successful of these being Mike Taylor who won the Brooklands Trophy that year. Was this a normal thing to do in the Fifties? I guess it was a way for Innes to finance his own racing career.
Reading the contemporary reports the cars seem to have been well turned out, indeed somewhat better than the Team Lotus versions. I know Hawthorn’s mechanic Brit Pearce worked for Innes; did Brit continue in Motor Sport after that time?
Anyone know what happened to 5BPH and 100RMI?
Golden Acres?
Started by
KJJ
, May 07 2003 12:06
7 replies to this topic
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#2
Doug Nye
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Posted 07 May 2003 - 16:11
The site of 'Golden Acres' lies about 5 miles from me here, but I have never satisfactorily pinpointed it. Brit - who, with his square-cropped moustache, broad shoulders and immense hands looked like a man-sized version of A. Hitler - told me it was on the opposite side of a country road from an area known as 'The Moat' which is a sizeable pond on a "site of special scientific interest" heathland just south of Elstead which is a sizeable village - former home to Peter Sellers.
That site is overgrown today with sizeable pine trees but there are concrete foundation bases in the woodland - quite typical around here because we are surrounded by miles of military training lands and former military encampments. From what Innes and Brit told me (I never saw their establishment) the main workshop was an ex-military hut. This would be consistent with the site I am thinking of today - but I am NOT confident that I have the site right. Brit had a rather accident-prone subsequent career, working with Jonathan Sieff after his TT Garage and Hawthorn period, Sieff being very badly injured in a huge shunt during practice at Le Mans in a Lotus Elite.
Brit also prepared Michael Taylor's Taylor & CRawley cars. When Mike Taylor was badly hurt during practice for the 1960 Belgian GP after his new Lotus 18's steering wheel had come off in his hands, Brit had Colin Chapman by the shirtfront, pinned against the Hotel wall with his toes dangling clear of the ground, bawling "You've just killed my -------- driver!".
Several large blokes later, Brit's grip was finally broken and a rather shaken Colin - who had reputedly gone a peculiarly deep shade of purple - was able to breath in again.
Brit was a hard nut who was not to be trifled with... The notion of an upset Brit is still chilling.
He subsequently became an Aston Martin specialist and worked out his long life with Chris Lenz's small specialist Aston garage in Alton, Hampshire.
Brit and his wife lived in a small cottage in nearby Chawton, renowned as the home village of Jane Austen, 1775-1817, the novelist. writer of 'Pride & Prejudice' etc.
Innes told me that throughout all their travels and long time working together he had NEVER bought Brit anything to eat ... DRINK, yes, bottles and bottles and pints and pints and pints of it, but never anything to eat... Brit would just flash his solitary tooth and chuckle.
DCN
That site is overgrown today with sizeable pine trees but there are concrete foundation bases in the woodland - quite typical around here because we are surrounded by miles of military training lands and former military encampments. From what Innes and Brit told me (I never saw their establishment) the main workshop was an ex-military hut. This would be consistent with the site I am thinking of today - but I am NOT confident that I have the site right. Brit had a rather accident-prone subsequent career, working with Jonathan Sieff after his TT Garage and Hawthorn period, Sieff being very badly injured in a huge shunt during practice at Le Mans in a Lotus Elite.
Brit also prepared Michael Taylor's Taylor & CRawley cars. When Mike Taylor was badly hurt during practice for the 1960 Belgian GP after his new Lotus 18's steering wheel had come off in his hands, Brit had Colin Chapman by the shirtfront, pinned against the Hotel wall with his toes dangling clear of the ground, bawling "You've just killed my -------- driver!".
Several large blokes later, Brit's grip was finally broken and a rather shaken Colin - who had reputedly gone a peculiarly deep shade of purple - was able to breath in again.
Brit was a hard nut who was not to be trifled with... The notion of an upset Brit is still chilling.
He subsequently became an Aston Martin specialist and worked out his long life with Chris Lenz's small specialist Aston garage in Alton, Hampshire.
Brit and his wife lived in a small cottage in nearby Chawton, renowned as the home village of Jane Austen, 1775-1817, the novelist. writer of 'Pride & Prejudice' etc.
Innes told me that throughout all their travels and long time working together he had NEVER bought Brit anything to eat ... DRINK, yes, bottles and bottles and pints and pints and pints of it, but never anything to eat... Brit would just flash his solitary tooth and chuckle.
DCN
#3
Eric McLoughlin
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Posted 07 May 2003 - 17:38
Doug's anectdotes seem to indicate that the characters who helped establish Britain as the world centre of excellence in motor sport were, by and large, total nut cases. Did the war have anything to do with it?
Elstead is only a few miles from me too. Maybe Doug should organise a motor racing history "touring trail" or a "Motorists Guide Book" of areas of interest to the motor racing historian. Surrey, in particular, seems to abound in sites which were crucial to Britain's early forays into post war motor racing.
Elstead is only a few miles from me too. Maybe Doug should organise a motor racing history "touring trail" or a "Motorists Guide Book" of areas of interest to the motor racing historian. Surrey, in particular, seems to abound in sites which were crucial to Britain's early forays into post war motor racing.
#4
David McKinney
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Posted 07 May 2003 - 18:30
Yes and no.Originally posted by KJJ
Anyone know what happened to 5BPH and 100RMI?
5BPH was originally applied to c/no 219, but after that was crashed in 1957 the parts went into a replacement frame, 296, which was also 5BPH. This car was raced in the 1172 formula by Bob Staples in 1958, but by 1963 was in storage in a barn in Wales. It was retrieved in 1982 by Ean Pugh, and raced by him, in very original condition, for the next dozen years or so.
Around about 1995/96, the parts were built into a third chassis, a replica built by Crosthwaite & Gardner, which was given the number 219. IIRC the stripped-out 296 was completed with other bits and sold on.
100RMI was a Series 2 car (c/no 338) but I don't know what happened to it after Ireland's time
#5
Doug Nye
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Posted 07 May 2003 - 18:58
Originally posted by Eric McLoughlin
Doug's anectdotes seem to indicate that the characters who helped establish Britain as the world centre of excellence in motor sport were, by and large, total nut cases. Did the war have anything to do with it?
Right on all counts I think...that followed by National Service experience in the 1940s and '50s. Military experience, discipline and often sheer muscle-headed, pompous incompetence produced a generation of strong, self-reliant, determined, competitive, self-confident and questioning characters who would take no prisoners...nor any blarney... Brit was great value, a real character, much mellowed by the time I got to know him - in his last years.
DCN
#6
David Birchall
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Posted 07 May 2003 - 22:35
I also grew up close to Elstead-in Milford at the begining of the Elstead road. Since I would only have been 10 years old in 1958 I have no recollection of Innes Irelands shop but my next door neigbour on the council estate became a mechanic in f1 very shortly after that time-he was about 10 years older than me-and he may remember Golden Acres location. His name is Ken Sykes and the last I knew he was still living in Milford. Doug, is the "Moat" part of Frensham ponds where the scenes with the Bentley rolling into the water in "The Fast Lady" were shot? or is it at Cutmill pond closer to Milford? It would be nice to definately identify the spot.
Two "unofficial" motoring spots of interest in that area: The Compton Mile; on the compton road between Godalming and Guildford is where cars were tested for maximum speed. Since it was a narrow, although straight country road with a hump back bridge at one end it could be dicy as when somebody-possibly connected to Rob Walker-launched a Gullwing Mercedes so far off the top of the bridge that they were picking pieces out of the trees for years afterwards! I first achieved the "ton" on the Compton Mile in Mini.
The A31 "Hogs Back", where Mike Hawthorn died in 1959 in, I think I am right in saying, a hawthorn tree. When news came on the radio we local lads all jumped on our bikes and cycled up to the Hogs Back to gape but it was mostly cleared up by then. Four friends and I once held a sustained 135mph (No Gatsometers then!) in a Lotus Cortina fitted with a V8 engine from Farnham to Guildford down the Hogs Back.
Surrey has so many motoring sites: Brooklands, Pippbrook Garage, Coombes Garage (Just below the Hogs Back), the Cooper Works, AC at Thames Ditton, etc, etc, etc...
Speaking of Coombes Garage; at the age of 16 I would work part time in a petrol filling station that the Coombes cars sometimes came to and I would fill BUY 1 and BUY 12. At the time our belief was that BUY 12 was not "buy twelve" but "buy one too", any comments?
Two "unofficial" motoring spots of interest in that area: The Compton Mile; on the compton road between Godalming and Guildford is where cars were tested for maximum speed. Since it was a narrow, although straight country road with a hump back bridge at one end it could be dicy as when somebody-possibly connected to Rob Walker-launched a Gullwing Mercedes so far off the top of the bridge that they were picking pieces out of the trees for years afterwards! I first achieved the "ton" on the Compton Mile in Mini.
The A31 "Hogs Back", where Mike Hawthorn died in 1959 in, I think I am right in saying, a hawthorn tree. When news came on the radio we local lads all jumped on our bikes and cycled up to the Hogs Back to gape but it was mostly cleared up by then. Four friends and I once held a sustained 135mph (No Gatsometers then!) in a Lotus Cortina fitted with a V8 engine from Farnham to Guildford down the Hogs Back.
Surrey has so many motoring sites: Brooklands, Pippbrook Garage, Coombes Garage (Just below the Hogs Back), the Cooper Works, AC at Thames Ditton, etc, etc, etc...
Speaking of Coombes Garage; at the age of 16 I would work part time in a petrol filling station that the Coombes cars sometimes came to and I would fill BUY 1 and BUY 12. At the time our belief was that BUY 12 was not "buy twelve" but "buy one too", any comments?
#7
KJJ
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Posted 09 May 2003 - 10:07
Mike Taylor describes his Spa accident on the BRDC website:
“….the steering column came off in my hands at about 150 m.p.h. I came out of the car, cut down a tree with my body, breaking my back, neck, both legs, arms, punctured a lung and many other multiple injuries. This effectively put paid to my career as a racing driver and Lotus paid me a very substantial sum for negligence.”
I guess Brit Pearce’s reaction to all of this was a little forthright but at least his opinion as to the cause of the accident had the backing of M’Learned Friend.
David – Mill Pond is on the OS Map, it is on the east side of the lane that runs south from Elstead, so not part of Frensham ponds?
Innes lived at Golden Acres, I suppose he got to know the area from his time in the Parachute Regt based in Aldershot, and a web search shows there is still a private residence of this name in Woolfords lane – at the end of a lane running west from Mill Pond. This fits in with what Brit told Doug about the location of the main workshop.
Drivers for the “Innes Ireland Stable” in 1958 included Mike taylor, Jack Westcott, Christopher Martyn, Douglas Graham and M Clarke.
“….the steering column came off in my hands at about 150 m.p.h. I came out of the car, cut down a tree with my body, breaking my back, neck, both legs, arms, punctured a lung and many other multiple injuries. This effectively put paid to my career as a racing driver and Lotus paid me a very substantial sum for negligence.”
I guess Brit Pearce’s reaction to all of this was a little forthright but at least his opinion as to the cause of the accident had the backing of M’Learned Friend.
David – Mill Pond is on the OS Map, it is on the east side of the lane that runs south from Elstead, so not part of Frensham ponds?
Innes lived at Golden Acres, I suppose he got to know the area from his time in the Parachute Regt based in Aldershot, and a web search shows there is still a private residence of this name in Woolfords lane – at the end of a lane running west from Mill Pond. This fits in with what Brit told Doug about the location of the main workshop.
Drivers for the “Innes Ireland Stable” in 1958 included Mike taylor, Jack Westcott, Christopher Martyn, Douglas Graham and M Clarke.
#8
David Birchall
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Posted 11 May 2003 - 03:57
KJJ, Sorry to keep you hanging on, it is 35 years since I lived in that area and I just do not remember individual roads! Doug Nye sounds like the best source by far since he is right on site. The Mill pond I recall was off to the right when going from Milford to Elstead, down a lane and over a weir that was like a scene from a Constable painting. Good luck with the searcha and keep us posted.
