In the 1920s, George Mason, who had been running a cycle repair business and filling station from a property near the Cross, subsequently occupied by Arthur Turner Electricals, purchased an entire former farm site in the High Street, and from 1927 to 1961, he ran a motor business there. On the area near the former Cottage Homes stood an orchard and a tennis court. The former small barn which fronted the High Street was converted into a cycle repair shop, and for a while, cycles were sold and repaired there. In the early part of his time there, George Mason (commonly nicknamed “Spazzer” – possibly a corruption of “spanner”) also interested himself in radio. He sold sets and kept a stock of spare parts. On Sundays, he was a regular at the Mission Room and sang in the choir there for over 60 years.
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The garage forecourt 1947
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The garage shop 1952
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With the increase in car ownership after the Second World War, the business began to expand, and a new forecourt was built on the site of the old orchard and tennis court, with new sales and repair shops just behind it. George lived with his family in a house on the same site. This was later replaced in the 1960s by a bungalow at the rear of the site. It was a family business involving , his son Ken and his wife Constance, his daughter Doreen and his son-in-law, Alan Olechnowicz.
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Early 1960's - L to R: Alan Olechnowicz (son in law), Constance Mason (wife of Ken), Eddie York (mechanic), George Mason, and Ken Mason.
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Aerial view of the garage site in 1984
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In 1961, George Mason died, and the family sold the site to the Co-op, who continued the business with a new forecourt and sales offices under the name of Regency Cars and Regency Garage.
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