Padleys Motor Auctions


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Anyone remember " Paddleys Motor Auctions" , on Loughborough rd,West Bridgford,

next to the Wolds Hotel, a very active place to buy a good cheap car pre 1964.

after that date, the auctions finished and the site was redeveloped into a super market named GEM.

it was an American company, but only lasted untill 1966,when it withdrew its operation in W,B

1966 the big boys stepped in and again re developed the site, to day it known as ASDA.

not a lot of people know that.

Dennis..

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I do remember going when it was GEM - a huge place by (then) British standards. It probably would seem small today!

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I remember neighbours of ours (Who had a car) going to "Gem" to their weekly ' big shop' but I'm sure that was later than '66. Then again I do have a good memory for 40+ years ago , 40+ minutes ago on the other hand .............!

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A girlfriend of mine worked there as a hairdresser just after it opened.A lot of the departments in there went under the Gem name but were actually independant businesses leasing the space.

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I remember the auctions up Carlton rd

Also the Motorcyle auctions somewhere past long eaton think it was called Measham

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Anyone remember " Paddleys Motor Auctions" , on Loughborough rd,West Bridgford,

next to the Wolds Hotel, a very active place to buy a good cheap car pre 1964.

When exactly was that? Because I thought that the site next to The Wolds - prior to GEM- was this place........

gemfarm.jpg

Collington's Farm. You can see The Wolds building in the background.

Where was Paddleys relative to this?

I remember GEM because West Bridgford UDC buses (remember them, the brown ones?) ran a free service from Clifton, down Wilford Lane, to GEM and I've been on that service quite a few times.

the site was redeveloped into a super market named GEM. it was an American company, but only lasted untill 1966,when it withdrew its operation in W,B

1966 the big boys stepped in and again re developed the site, to day it known as ASDA.

Although it wasn't the only GEM. They also had a second site in Leeds which didn't last long either

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Cliff ton, I'm only stating that Padderley were there before any of the superstores.

I do believe the auction building was more forward towards the road,than the main building is know.

when i said next door to the wolds hotel,i didn't mean they were holding hands, it was in the near location!!

we can all get it wrong some times.

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I remember Padley's Auctions, sometimes they would have motorcycle auctions and we boys from the nearby West Bridgford Grammar School would spend time kick starting the bikes, there would be hundreds of them in the car park, or so it seemed.

I think most of them were hire purchase snatchbacks, there were Vincents among the BSA Triumph and Norton twins, as well as a lot of two strokes. Later on some of us bought from the auction.. I remember two ex Nottingham High School bikers who did, Bob Amphlett and Hugh O'Toole. Bob bought a BSA B33 complete with Avon Streamliner Fairing. Hugh bought a Norton 350 single,(was it called the MOD 19 Ashley?).

It was not unknown for the odd car to be taken for a nightime drive by certain schoolboys, it would be returned and parked up where it came from.

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I worked at Gem in 1972,but i'm sure opened well before then,1964 according to this which i think has already been posted elsewhere on here-

http://www.britishpa...rd.php?id=43674

It backed on to waste ground we used to play on with motorbikes,called gem tip.

Thanks for putting my mind at rest , as I was sure it was later than 66 !

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Not sure of the date of this, but it's pre-GEM and I didn't know the area then but I reckon it may show Paddley's.

You can see The Wolds on the right, and then a large area with cars and workshops. I know there was a VW dealership there, so they could be part of the area, and Paddley's in the other part. Maybe.

gem.jpg

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I'm pretty sure Padley's is the building to the left of the Wolds. Most, if not all of the cars seen in the centre and bottom right of the photo are where the auction cars were parked.

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We were only talking about GEM the other day. I reminded hubby that it had a petrol station out front, he'd forgotten about that. We always filled up there after buying the groceries, it was cheaper than anywhere else in Nottingham, if I remember correctly. Gem was the first place I remember where you could buy clothes and food all in one place.

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I'm not certain, but I "think" GEM was owned by Woolworths!

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I found the following regarding Gem-

West Bridgford has a place in British retail history as the location of the UK's first major out-of-town shopping development. In 1964, an American company called GEM opened a store on Loughborough Road. However, despite ambitious expansion plans, GEM's British operations were not a success, with only one other store (at Cross Gates, Leeds) being opened. National concessionaires withdrew from the stores and, in 1966, the fledgling Asda company (then known as 'Associated Dairies') of Leeds, acquired a controlling interest in the GEM operations. The Loughborough Road site still houses a major Asda store, although it was resited and rebuilt some years ago.

I recall going to Beardalls,the VW dealership mentioned,with my parents on a Players Motor Club visit. We witnessed someone drive a VW Beetle into the workshop,remove the engine,refit it and drive out again,all within 10 minutes.

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Only thing motorwise I bought at auction was ex Royal Mail Sherpa Van at Measham, there were 100,s of them!, sorted out some with mot before sale started, about 7 went through but all a bit pricey, then "mine" came up, stalled at about £200, couldn't understand why, so bid and won it, when I went to pay and collect it found out why cheap! NO door locks fitted!!!!, had been some security van with special locks, not only that standard sherpa locks no longer would fit, finished up with hasps and padlocks.

just seen your post Oldace, only Norton 350's I knew were the model 50 (cause I had one) and the navigator of which the less said the better! The one I had would be worth a lot now as wide featherbed model with from new legshields and screen all in original dark green (£40 in 1970 with tax and mot) screen and legshields dumped on waste land off high church st the day I bought it!. but doubt still there, went to Scotland and back on it no trouble cept silencer sheared in half, guess stress fracture/sympathetic vibration caused by constant 50mph mile after mile? sold to Billy Jenkins (Dumbo's half brother)

ps, IF anyone thinking of buying ex RM van at auction don't worry if no mot, very well maintained, it sailed through 3 without any problems,

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