Nothing provides us with a window into the past quite like old machinery and transport. Whether it is a Supermarine Spitfire or a BSA Bantam, any old machine invites you to immerse yourself in a bygone era. You can see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, take it apart, rebuild it and in many cases, drive, ride, fly or sail it. As every second elapses you are not only reliving the experiences of previous generations, but you are developing a relationship and learning to cope with the moods of a piece of engineering that is, to all intents and purposes, a living thing.
In an increasingly bland, digital age where everything is ‘i’ this and ‘auto’ that, or do this ‘by wire’ and ‘voice activate’ that, we no longer have such a physical involvement with technology. Also, ridiculously far reaching health and safety regulations discourage us from handling any kind of modern machinery unless you have the 47 certificates to prove that you’ve ‘done the course’.
I believe that old analogue equipment is good for us as human beings. You only have to look at the relatively ‘hands off’ mentality of today’s society compared to the ‘can do’ generations of yesteryear. Today if the lawnmower breaks down, many would immediately ‘google’ a DIY ‘superstore’ and simply buy a new one with a credit card. I can just about remember the days when, if the old Suffolk Punch futted out, it was dragged into the shed and lifted onto the bench for serious investigation. On went the kettle, out came handbook and wooden crate of well worn tools and dad set about mending the thing. Whiffs of St Bruno from his pipe competed with the ever present pot pourri of 3 in 1, creosote, freshly mown grass and petrol (!), then after some forty minutes of competent if not expert spannering the mower was cheerfully rolled out of the shed. Three pulls later, dad was rewarded by the little Suffolk motor parping into life and settling down to a steady and familiar beat.
Fundamentally, this site is my contribution to the preservation and continued use of our engineering and transport heritage and to encourage more people, especially the young, to involve themselves in this exciting and fulfilling area of life.
While I can appreciate the efficiency of German and Japanese engineering, while I can find some endearing qualities in a smattering of French vehicles, while I can marvel at the style and élan of some Italian exotica and appreciate the brutish, long-legged muscularity of American machinery, I reserve my unconditional love for the products of Great Britain. For me British machinery of the twentieth century represents the zenith of a nation which started the industrial revolution and became the ‘workshop of the world’, exporting all manner of equipment to all corners of the globe, driven on by the talents and genius of men like Geoffrey DeHavilland, Henry Royce, Nigel Gresley, Edward Turner, W. O. Bentley, and Herbert Austin to name but a very few. I look beyond the iron and steel and timber and fabric and see the spirit of a people who contributed to this industrial might and remember them and their forefathers, many of whom gave their lives to defend this amazing archipelago.
Nowadays it almost makes me weep to think that our great engineering and manufacturing base has been swept away in the name of globalisation and the Britain that we once knew and loved has over a few short decades been steadily sold off and virtually abolished. I think we should take the qualities of our amazing industrial and engineering past and use them to help realign our future. Let’s just say that when I am in the presence of a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost or a Gresley A4 Steam Locomotive I am very much connecting with the soul of the Britain of yesteryear, a proud Britain, a strong Britain, a better Britain.
