| Fate | Broken-up, car dealerships acquired by Inchcape plc in 1973 |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905 |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Norwich, United Kingdom |
Mann, Egerton & Company Ltd. was an automotive and aerospace company headquartered in Norwich, United Kingdom. During its history the company was variously active in automotive retailing, aircraft manufacturing, automotive coachbuilding and electrical services.
It was formally founded in 1905 by Gerald Mann, an electrical engineer, and Hubert Egerton, although the two had been working in partnership for a number of preceding years (the "Tern" logo used in the 1960s was often accompanied by the statement "ESTD. 1898"). Besides car dealing the company continued electrical installation work.
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In 1909 the company supplied its first custom built car body for a Rolls-Royce. By 1913 it had branches across East Anglia, and in London.[1] In 1915 the company was requested to build aeroplanes for the war effort. Some were built under licence, including 22 Short Admiralty Type 184s and 20 Short Bombers[2] ; later the company produced ten examples of its own Type B, a further development of the Short Type 184.[3]
In the Second World War, they built vehicle bodies for the Government especially the Austin K2 ambulance.
The headquarters were in Prince of Wales Road, Norwich where they had a British Leyland dealership. The garage in Surrey Street Norwich had a Ford dealership and commercial vehicles and the woodworking business were run from premises on Cromer Road, Norwich. Over the years garages in several other towns were opened or acquired including central London where they sold Rolls Royce and Bentley cars, Finchley, Lowestoft, Uttoxeter, Nottingham (formerley Atkeys), Derby and Worcester.
In 1964, the electrical department was sold to the Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company. Mann Egerton was acquired by Inchcape plc in 1973 though its woodworking business continued until bought out by the management in 1986.[4] The woodworking business made school furniture. The coachbuilding business made refrigerated vehicles for companies including Findus and BirdsEye among other vheicles and was sold to Bonallock Coachbuilders.
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