Tri Section Lunch at Lacock

This National Trust Village and Abbey location is well known to many members who will forgive me if I recommend its old streets, Church, Fox Talbot photography Museum and the Abbey itself. This was our third visit but it merits midweek private time to complete the job!

Don Gray had arranged for our own grass car park near the Red Lion Hotel in the Village Pound, after permission was granted by the National Trust. It was ideal. On a very sunny busy Saturday the well behaved and interested public were an asset. They also sent us photographs! Some of John Baillie’s are in this report. He has completed a book about Donington, details are among the photographs. attached.

Occasionally a boy went round individually studying, comparing, deciding which to drive home in his dreams. We had six three litres including Mike Wilson’s TB21, then a rather special TA14, two Speed VDP 20’s and, for the first time, a 12/50.

An Asian lad enquired how old a TD 21 was, and was told. “Oh!” he said “That’s OLD”. “Do any of them move?”. Learning that all had driven in that morning he paused at the 1928 12/50 TG. “But that’s not old” he said,“It’s antique”.

When current custodians ensure famous former owners are remembered by retaining on the car their cherished old additions, its a special pleasure, provided they are discreet fittings. These both were. It was good to see the return of Gordon Burge’s Vanden Plas SP20 SA. It was once the property of "Clink” (Lt. Commander Clinkard) and still wore two of his old badges on its bar, the Brooklands Society and AA. The Symingtons brought their handsome maroon Carbodies TA 14 drophead. The smart rear mudguard protectors and auxiliary lights were neat external additions. There was a hidden First Aid set under the dash and under the bonnet neat plumbing, electrics and tools installation , all by Ron Buck. Somehow they all looked like original fitments.

It was a classic hot summer day out. So hot that many members soon sought the shade inside the pub. And they found the TV, and the Rugby!!