:: [ SVVS Evening Meeting - The Dog & Duck - Outwood - July 2002 ] ::

The Dog & Duck  is located on Outwood Hill in Surrey not far from the famous Outwood Windmill which is still in full working condition and a local tourist attraction. The Dog & Duck public house is about a mile away and is now popular having been privately modernised a few years ago and under new Management. The following text is based on the SVVS Magazine report by Chris Cuss and the photos are by  Bozi Mohacek. Please click on any thumbnail picture below to see the full size picture. To return to the thumbnails please click the Explorer "Back" arrow (top left of screen). Pictures have been prepared for speed of loading, and the page has been sized to be viewed at 800 x 600. Being evening, photos were taken with little light so have been lightened to be viewable.

     

For many years now our July evening meeting has been the best attended of our gatherings. Last year Mike Erroll counted over 90 classic vehicles at the Plough in Bletchingley although many belonged to non-members. In late May we learned that the Plough would be closed for refurbishment and rebranding, a fate shared by so many hostelries these days. Gone are the days when you could navigate by instructions of the ’turn left at the Red Lion’ variety. Now pub names seem to change as fast as the landlord. Indeed that had occurred with our alternative venue ‘The Dog & Duck’ which in a previous existence had been the ‘Prince of Wales’. My Surrey map still showed the original name but a telephone call to the Hon Ed, a local resident, soon put me right. In the event my navigator failed to warn me of the approach of the pub so we sailed past closely followed by another Riley and a Bentley saloon, all of us having to execute a U-turn at the next road junction. We were not alone as later in the evening there was much squealing of brakes.

     

Despite their tendency to rush past the pub entrance Rileys were much in evidence. Robin Vince came in his 1936 six light Kestrel. Already in the car park when we arrived was a cream post-war three-seat drophead 2½ litre RMC that I guessed was made around 1950. The owner left before I could note his name. Tim Harding brought his 1929 fabric bodied 9 h.p. Monaco saloon, and Brian Lloyd Jacob’s 12/4 Lynx of 1935 vintage followed my 1935 12/4 Kestrel. The E type Jaguar belonged to Frank Carson, also a Harley owner and the husband of Jackie who is the E & O Show Secretary, who came with their son Christopher to have a look at the SVVS with view to joining.

     

Mr. Bozi Mohacek made sure that his yellow 1932 Rolls Royce 20/25 shooting brake did not escape my notice and was kept busy organizing conducted tours around its cavernous interior. Simon Bishop, for once, was not last in his 1925 Singer 10/26 four-door tourer (but despite this, the photo was too dark to include ED). That dubious honour went to Tony Tester in his stately 1926 Chrysler Imperial. Jon Quiney brought his very chromey and impressive 1940 Dolomite from his garage full of Triumphs whilst Clive Mellor brought his 1935 Gloria. David Cole’s Austin 12/4 with two seat and dickey body was on show as was a similar model the details of which I failed to note.

     

Alan Benewith chose to bring the Jason from his pair of Jowett saloons. Incidentally I saw both Jon and Alan at the Leatherhead classic car show the previous weekend held in aid of the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Disabled. It was the first time that I had attended and was most impressed by the number and diversity of vehicles on show although most were post W.W.II. Messrs Picnic Orginisers came in their Morris 8 tourer, Fraser and Linda brought their 1938 Wolseley 14/56 saloon and another Triumph was the 1974 TR6 owned by Bruce Glover.  Mike Erroll brought the older of his pair of Jaguars, the pale blue XK120, and nearly suffered the indignity of being run over by a white van man rushing through the car park. Brian Lloyd Jacob almost suffered a similar fate when he stepped into the path of Mike Gorman’s M.G. Spriget but a quick blast on its squeaky hooter moved him out of harm’s way. 

     

Having started on M.G.s I as ever am confused by which was what. Hon. Ed. Julian’s Y type saloon was easy to identify parked as it was  next to the Amilcar Grand Sport owned by Hon. Sec. Desmond Peacock. September’s speaker Richard Clark came in his TF. I noticed Ron Smith in a red sports variety but was not sure if it was his TD.  There was an M.G.B GT and at least two more post-war T types. The adjacent Armstong Siddeley was Mike Fay's 1933 Long Wheelbase Saloon and the Dellow was Mike Wolletts 1950 Trials car.

     

The large perpendicular Austin that has been puzzling me for the last three months arrived driven by David Smart with Nigel Walder in the passenger seat. David Rolfe brought his 1935 Austin Kempton with Bibendium mascot. Alan Reid came in the 1932 Austin Seven Special and David Ralf bought his 1932 Austin 10 Drophead Coupe which had been parked in the Register as 'Restoring'.

     

Thankfully returning to more familiar cars I recorded the Thrupp and Maperley d.h. coupe Bentley of John Chapman, the Alvis TA21 belonging to Chris Geary parked next to the as yet unidentified Bently, the 1946 Standard 8 belonging to Graham Martin, and the Alfa Spyder owned by Derek Bashford. Another maiden SVVS outing was that of Roger Bishop's new AC. Mention should also be made of Jackie and Simon Pearce who came in a modern as indeed did John Sheldrake. Numbers attending were well down on previous years due possibly to a combination of the change of venue and also the fact that it had been raining steadily for most of the day although the evening itself was thankfully dry. 



The highlight of the evening was the first appearance at an SVVS event of the 1928 Morris Cowley saloon owned by Chas Moody. Chas purchased the car over 30 years ago and has been restoring it for the last 16 years. It is a locally registered car with a Surrey number and Chas is only its second owner. Thankfully as befits a car in its price bracket he has not fallen into the trap of over restoration. So often we see a standard of finish and colours that would never have been applied by the factory. The exterior was immaculate in sand and black and whilst everything under the bonnet was clean and tidy there was not an excess of gloss and polished copper that would have been out of keeping with the vehicles relatively humble origins. One noteworthy feature was the rear lighting arrangement. Chas had kept the original single small red lamp on the number plate but had a white trailer lamp bar attached by two wing nuts so as adequate modern lamps were available for road use but could be removed in a moment for authenticity’s sake.

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