Welcome to the Pritchard's Garages story.
This is a real old school working petrol station, still making history in fuel retailing.

In the Early Years...

At first, before the time of motor cars, and petrol stations, there was an Inn, and a row of cottages standing here on this piece of land. The use of the land, and name of the street had changed to a road, when we acquired the garage business, and builders yard, back in 1959.

Esso Fuel Brand...

Retailing ESSO motor fuel and lubricants, and repairing motor vehicles, we set to work growing the business. In 1962 we incorporated the business to become Pritchard's Garages (Wordsley) Limited, Company Registration No: 00739131.

An expansion drive in the nineteen-sixties, saw the addition of two more petrol stations in Amblecote, and Kingswinford, selling Esso Regular, Mixture, Plus, and Extra petrol, We ran the usual promotions - world cup coins, and tiger tails, to name two.

But then we sold our two sites at Moss Grove, and The Fish to ESSO, so we could concentrate our focus on development of our Wordsley site. A car showroom was built, and we became DAF agents, selling new and used cars, and a travel agency was opened, it's trading name was Taurus Travel.

The Jet Fuel Brand...

In 1976 we switched fuel suppliers from Esso fuels, to Conaco's own Jet brand of fuels, and motor oils. Erecting a Condor canopy over the four Avery-Hardoll single hose petrol pumps we had, and installing a diesel pump in the process.

When we ordered our fuel, it was delivered by road tanker from the Conaco oil terminal in Stourport.

Elf Oil, Fuel Brand ...

1981 we changed fuel suppliers again, to Elf Oil (GB) Ltd, selling Elf motor fuels. We also installed a new additional underground fuel storage tank. Fuel came from their oil terminal at Oldbury.

Showroom & Shop...

The car showroom, and used car display places, were leased out to a car sales company, and they retailed new Skoda cars and used vehicles.

Offices, and an export business on the ground floor were removed to make way for a larger retail shop, to include a DIY Motor Store shop front fascia group. And the 1st floor offices were let to a data processing company, a c ar radio sales & repair business, and a mobile car repair company.

Introduction of Self-Service...

The beginning of 1993 saw a major refit of the petrol forecourt and shop, when we changed from attended to self-service.

We replaced our five ageing Avery-Hardoll single nozzel, mechanical pumps, with three of the latest Tokheim 363/c, 6 hose, liquid crystal, back-lit digital display, fuel dispensers, and a self-service pump controller & till.

Pritchards Garages Ltd

The Last Twenty Years...

For the last twenty years, we have not been tied to any fuel brand, and have been selling brand free Petrol & Diesel, when Elf Oil (GB) Ltd were taken over by the Total brand, in the year 2000. Total Oil has now withdrawn from the retail petrol market in the UK. Fuel is supplied by a distributor.

In 2018 we were the only petrol station & motorists accessory shop left trading in Wordsley, when Bells Lane Service Station shutdown, to be turned into a housing plot. It was the last of three other petrol stations, and a motor parts shop, to close down in the village.

That is the story so far...

So now, we are the only show left in town, with over sixty years on the clock, and still going strong in petrol retailing. We have come a long way, and still got fuel in our tanks, and a little way yet to go.

Directors of the Company

Gerada Pritchard & Simon Pritchard

OS Map 1938

Still earlier in the past…

In the late 1800's in Mill Street to the west of us; were Ivy Mill, and Fox Farm. Later Webbs Seeds & Nursery were our neighbours. I can still remember the farm land and derelict greenhouses, until Kitson Steel Stock Holders cleared them to make way for a car park and offices.

To the south is the Stourbridge Canal’s flight of 16 locks, and Dadford Wharf. And to the east of us, lived the Stanley’s they ran a butcher’s shop in Kingswinford.

To the north our neighbours were Swiss Farm, now Swiss Drive, and Swiss House Care Home.

A stone's throw away, down the road, was the old Wordsley Brewery, which in part was converted into the Olympia Cinema in 1912, it closed for good in 1959. In the sixty's it was cleared for a car park, to use by Frys Diecasting Company.

Sandstone - Triassic Period

Even earlier in the past…

Also across the road from us, is a cutting through the rock, which was made to connect the road from Wordsley to Brockmoor and Brierley Hill. It is now a geological feature of red sandstone, and pebble bed layers from the Triassic period; and is a SSSI, and is clearly visible to see from our forecourt.

The Boat Fold Inn at Wordsley...

The Boat Fold Inn, is listed in the street census of 1871, with an address then of Buckpool Road, and was still in business in 20th century; also known as “The Boat”. It was demolished, and the land sold by the brewery in 1951, to make way for a petrol station and builders yard.

The petrol filling station with it's three, "clock dial face" fuel dispensing pumps, starts trading soon afterwards.

The last three remaining haunted Boat Fold terraced cottages still occupied, were demolished ten years later, to make room for a larger forecourt, shop, and offices.

OS Map1884

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Welcome to the Pritchard's Garages story. This is a real old school working petrol station, still making history in fuel retailing.