Rolls-Royce 20/25 (1934)

SALE AGREED

An appealing sports saloon, which is subtly different in design from others of its era, having large glass area and a distinctive style, making it out of the ordinary and all the more interesting as a result. Finished in black & grey with louvred bonnet & scuttle, a full set of Ace wheel discs and an attractive set of lamps & horns. The green leather interior is also in fine condition, enhanced by a very nice headlining and a sliding sunroof, allowing more light and helping with the spacious feel. Running well and greatly benefitting from being fitted with overdrive, making cruising a more relaxed experience. Offered prepared and MoT tested, and back on its original registration number, CRF 993.


Chassis No. GRC61 Reg. No. CRF 993

Snippets: The Clarice Cliff Car
The first owner of GRC61 was William James Rowley a solicitor who was also the MD of the family firm Metallic Tile Co which was started by his father William & Uncle Tom in the late 1800s; the family also controlled other brick & tile works including Rowley Bros & Hanford Tileries which dated from the mid 1800s with the Glover family. When William Rowley Snr died in 1932 his estate was in excess of £41,000 with probate being granted to William Jr & his brother John. W. J. Rowley lived in “Horton” on Park Avenue in Wolstanton, better known as “Millionaire’s Row”, in the 1890s “Horton” was home to Joseph Edge who had business interests included Tiles, Pottery, Burslem Gas and Staffordshire Tramway. It is somehow quite fitting that we continue the link of clay & tiles with the 2nd owner of GRC61 who was Colley Shorter, again an earthenware manufacturer whose employee and protégé was Clarice Cliff whose style of Art Deco Pottery is instantly recognisable to this day. Colley and Clarice met in the early 1920s when Clarice was employed at AJ Wilkinson, Burslem, which was owned by Colley and his brother Guy. Clarice & Colley grew close and they soon became lovers, however at the time Colley was married to Ann who suffered from ill health, she died in 1939 and in the following year Clarice & Colley married & lived at their Arts & Crafts house “Chetwyn” in Clayton. Colley & Clarice were both early motorists with Clarice’s first car being an Austin Seven “Jinny” and Colley was the proud owner of not one, but two Rolls-Royce cars which according to various sources he kept garaged during WWII & used the horse & cart for any trips to the factory. Colley owned a 1938 Wraith Gurney Nutting DHC (WHC33) which was turquoise with chrome which he drove himself and later GRC61 which he may well have acquired direct from the estate of W. J. Rowley who had died in 1945 aged just 53.

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