Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is part of Free
The Petrol Station in Stelling Minnis
Enjoy a bit of re-fuelling nostalgia in deepest rural Kent as we visit H E Lock's long gone petrol station at Stelling Minnis.
From the collection of:
Overview
Alan Stingemore's film captures all the atmosphere of a rural garage in Kent. Situated just north of Stelling Minnis on the Bossingham Road, the garage sold fuel from National Benzole, a now defunct subsidiary brand belonging to BP. We see antiquated pumps delivering fuel in gallons, some of which is unleaded, and an air pump. We even see Mr Lock filling up a customer's car. After a final look at the garage we see sheep grazing on a common and Davison's Mill.
H E Lock's small garage, which is the star of this short film from Alan Stingemore, no longer exists but the garage buildings and the adjacent bungalow are still there today, along with Davison's Mill, Kent's last working windmill. Built in 1866, the Grade I listed structure continued working until autumn 1970 when its owner, Alec Davison, retired. After numerous restorations throughout its life, the four storey mill, of the smock type, was acquired by Kent County Council, who began a restoration programme in 2003 partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Today the mill is managed by the Stelling Minnis Windmill and Museum Trust and receives visitors on its open days.