Rockingham Cars

I know for some of us, it seems like light years away nowadays, but we all had to make a start at some point.

Standard 8 car.

And most of their cars were made by Fiat, and looking back, it was a perfect marketing tool, because Palace Motors was based in Alfred Street in Rushden. And famously sold the Italian car brand, it would have been a good prompter to buy a car that you felt comfortable in during your lessons.

Prior to the use of Fiat cars, two British built Standard Eights were able to have dual controls fitted for the pupils’ safety. At launch that model of car cost £481 including taxes on the home market. Mind you, we are talking mid to late 1950s; that was made in Coventry.

Leyland Motors took over Standard Triumph in 1960.

Former Palace Motors Home.	Vacated Sales Area.

Palace Motors was run by Don and June Wills for about 30 years, and of course ran a well known taxi firm too.

And their taxis had the benefit of being radio controlled, with proper two way technology to keep the cars rolling along with the next job. Almost certainly the equipment would have been made and supplied by “Pye”.

At certain times and locations, it was not unusual to make a transmission that bled over some TV sets as they were maybe watching Dixon of Dock Green etc.

Don’s brother, Horace Wills, ran an electrical shop in the High Street, and that was taken over in the mid 1960s by H York & Sons.

For many years one of the Palace driving school instructors lived up St Mary’s Avenue on the right hand side as you went in to Hall Avenue, (the car was parked on his drive for years).

Ready to leave.	Final job in workshop.

My early driving lessons started out in the late summer of 1967, and like many others, the very early instructions were given by our fathers.

With the strict demands not to grate the gears, don’t ride along with your foot on the clutch pedal, and try to avoid the “Kangaroo juice”!

I do recall one near escape, my father was in the co-pilot seat, and as I was driving down Wymington Road towards town. And a gentleman called Walt Hulett was riding along on his bike, being a 'know it all' 17 year old lad, I thought that I did not need to wait for a car coming the opposite way, and I could get through the gap.

And I went so close to Walt, that I nearly grazed his bike clips, much to my dad’s fright and disgust, that he gently swore at me for being an idiot!

The exact location was where the telephone box used to stand, opposite Harvey Road.

A farm yard was also there, and this was run by the Waller family, who ended up running a farm opposite the New Inn pub in my home village of Wymington.

Nearer to me taking my driving test, I booked in with Mr Ernie Cross to polish me up on the finer points of driving safely. Ernie was a really lovely driving instructor, and gave me the options of driving his vehicle for £2 per hour, or as in my case of using my own car at £1 per hour.

Waiting time for a driving test back then was a month, and if you failed, that few weeks waiting for the retest did seem like an eternity.

Broad Green in Wellingborough was the base for the men who would decide your fate at the end of that test!

Other options were open to take your lessons of course, and over the years, and I seem to recall the name of “Dernetta”, that was based in Wharf Road in Higham, and operated by Mr and Mrs Webb.

Alfred Street looks so different these days, but Palace Motors, and the Palace school of motoring spent many years there.

This was based in one of our three cinemas in town, obviously the “Palace”, and just as near was “The Ritz”, and the “Theatre” (now Asda).

We used to have fantastic carnivals in our town, and awards were given to the best decorated floats etc, and Palace school of motoring won that honour several times.

Information of move.

Don and June retired in the mid 1980s, and the driving school was then offered to Graham and Ellen Inwood (who had been employed by Don and June for over a couple of decades).

The Palace school of motoring did continue, but it was time to pass the baton over on the car dealership.

So in 1987 Palace Motors became “Rockingham Cars”, and was run by Bill Graham and David Hall. And of course they were trading in John Street for a long time.

Summer 2024, saw Rockingham Cars leave, and move back to their HQ in Corby. They had been selling and servicing Fiat vehicles over a long period from their base in John Street.

Talking of Summer, and other weather periods, you can find out so much about what has been happening in and around our town, by going to http://www.rushden-weather.co.uk/