Rolls-Royce 20HP

SALE AGREED

A rather lovely, unusual and appealing car, with a Dr’s Coupe look, but actually quite different. The rear quarter windows add light, there is a useful amount of luggage space behind the front seats, which includes a 'golf club hatch' and a large dickey seat at the rear. There are various quirky features which add to the car’s appeal and individuality, such as a lovely, original dashboard with shelves and a cabinet built in and practical touches such as wind-up windows and twin spare wheels. Also has an impressive selection of correct tools, and included with the car is a history file, which contains various invoices, maintenance documents, correspondence showing participation in various club events and interestingly, evidence that the car was taken to New York on the maiden voyage of the QE2 in 1969! Offered fully prepared, newly MoT tested, in excellent condition, smart, sound and running really sweetly.


Chassis No. GFN44 Reg No. PX 9492. £62,500.

Snippets: H R Hill & Lt C W Murray
Horace Rowland Hill of Crawley was a son of Henry & Kate Hill - according to the census of 1901 Henry was a Brewer, Henry & Kate lived in Herne Hill with their 7 children and 3 servants. By 1911 Henry had become a manufacture of silk goods and Horace had moved out of the family home, it would seem that Horace’s youngest brother Gerald died during WWI whilst serving with the Royal Fusiliers. Horace Hill remained in the brewing industry and in due course became a director, later chairman of The City of London Brewery Co Ltd. This company can be traced back to having been founded prior to 1431 and from 1587 to 1730 it was with the Reynold brothers until it was bought by Calvert & Co; by the 20th century after several mergers & acquisitions the company sold all its brewing interests, today the firm is still in existence but their trade is now in the investment trust and securities sector. Horace’s son Douglas R. H. Hill continued the family connection with the City of London Brewery himself becoming a director of the firm & other companies. It would appear that in 1935 GFN44 was sold to Lt. Charles Wadsworth Murray – his middle name is his grandmother’s maiden name & there is a very sad but romantic tale attached to this – Charles Augustus Murray met Elsie Wadsworth in 1935 whilst he was travelling through Niagra, her father (a wealthy gentleman) disapproved of the relationship & forbade any communication between them – (in 1844 Augustus wrote a book The Prairie Bird in which he conveyed his feelings!) when in 1849 Mr Wadsworth died and Elsie and Augustus wed in 1850 spending their honeymoon in Egypt – Augustus instructed a servant to inscribe Elsie’s name into a temple wall at Abu Simbel – where it can still be seen, Elsie died the following year a week after giving birth to Charles James Murray. In 1939 Charles Wadsworth Murray donated the derelict Strome Castle to the National Trust. The castle was built by the MacDonald Earls of Ross in the 15th Century & after various besieges & battles the MacDonalds surrendered the castle to the Clan MacKenzie in 1602 - they then promptly blew it up!