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Coventry car company descendants meet at the Transport Museum
04 January 2017
In late 2016 the Transport Museum saw a very special family gathering as the four direct descendants of the Calcott Motor Car Company family met for the very first time.
The Calcott company started out manufacturing bicycles in Coventry in 1886 and progressed to include motorcycle manufacturing in 1904. In 1913 the company switched to building motorcars and with a yearly output of around 2,500. By 1924, their output was 55 cars per week or approximately 2,900 cars per year.
However, the company could not afford to expand their factory space and so were restricted to stay in their bicycle factory space, limiting their capacity to increase production. A further blow was dealt when in 1925, the Chairman of the company James Calcott died suddenly. The firm was then bought out by the larger car company George Singer, that itself was eventually swallowed up by the Rootes Group.
This photo, taken in the early 1920s shows Rose Calcott with her 1921 Calcott Cabriolet, the exact model displayed in the Growth of the Motor Industry Gallery at the Transport Museum. During WW1, Rose lied about her age so that she could obtain a driving licence to help drive ambulances and supply lorries.
Rose's descendants, Myles, Martin, Peggy and June met at the Transport Museum for the first time in December 2016. They are pictured here with the Calcott car - an important part of Coventry's motoring history as well as a unique family treasure.
Photo: Haydn Bailey