End Of An Era For Thame Family Business

HALF a century of caring for the cars of local people came to an end on Friday for a Thame family business.
Bambrooks Garage, which began when Mrs Gwen Bambrook started the family taxi business in 1952, was officially closed and handed over to the new owner, Karl White, proprietor of the Thame Service Station on the opposite side of Chinnor Road.
Roy Bambrook, who with his brother Ken ran the garage and taxi business after the death of their father, Jack (John) Bambrook in 1992, related the history of the family firm to ThameNews.Net:
?Early in 1952, mum and dad bought the property from a Mrs Hanse. They moved in and mum started her taxi business while dad worked at the Service Garage (where HSBC bank is now), run by Arthur Blanchard. Mother started to get very busy with the taxi work, what with weddings almost every Saturday and driving the likes of Vivien Leigh who lived at Knottley Abbey, and Larry Grayson among her clientele. Dad came to help mum out but, because he was such a good engineer, a lot of his customers followed him here. So dad built a workshop and got really busy mending cars.
?Dad was at that time also a member of Thame Fire Brigade but because he was so busy with the garage, in 1957, after 20 years of service, decided he would have to finish. I was 18 years-old by then and was working at the Service Garage myself. Because dad had left, there was a vacancy at the fire station and they persuaded me to join to replace him and shortly afterwards, the Service Garage was sold on and it was decided that I would come and work for dad ? that was in June 1958. Although the siren at the fire station used to go off to summon the brigade, as was common practice then, a bell was put in the workshop. We got so busy that by 1965, we needed to build bigger premises. Around that time, my brother Ken, who had been working at Haynes? Garage (where Barclays bank is now), joined the family business. Dad continued to work until his health failed and he died 1992, since when, Ken and I continued until the present day.?
Roy retired from the fire service himself on News Year?s Eve, 1994, after 37 years.
Gwen Bambrook, though frail, is still alive and being cared for in a nursing home in Stone, near Thame.
It is an emotional time for most people coming to the end of their working life, but Roy said that although he felt sad at what is after all, the end of an era, he was looking forward to working on his retirement projects.
?It?s exciting in a sort of frightening way,? he admitted.
Roy is a keen Radio Ham and photographer and enjoys computing.
But it is Roy?s enthusiasm for his work that was always apparent to his customers, many of whom became his firm friends and will now have the difficult task of finding a reliable and resourceful engineer like Roy or indeed Ken, to look after their vehicles. But, as Roy admitted himself, he will still be tinkering around with cars one way or another for as long as he can hold a spanner.

But what of the future of the site on which Bambrooks? has stood for so long?
Karl White, the new owner explained:
?For many years we have sold cars, carried out MOTs and services, as well as valeting and repairing cars. The business is growing and we are running out of space. By acquiring Bambrooks?, we will be able to carry on doing all of that in a way that will be much more convenient for our customers.?

Photo: Roy Bambrook hands over the keys of Bambrook’s garage to new owner, Karl White. Also pictured, Ken Bambrook and the two Mrs Bambrooks.