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Another Interesting period photo received from Hillary Roach (USA) who is working on family tree and has found photos and glass slides of Grandfather's cars. Hillary advises Grandfather was John Edwin Porter (1846-1920) who, with brother George, started a continental carrier company G & J Porter in 1878 in Folkestone specialising in shipping of champagne. The company is believed to have moved to London. Edwin lived in Bromley, later Sevenoaks and then Folkestone, in "The Leas", directly overlooking the sea. The picture of a charabanc KT 155 above apparently shows Edwin Porter in a light suit with waistcoat and a light hat, standing by the nearside front mudguard. The vehicle is a Kent County Council registered 1913 Maltby Charabanc, and would not have been a vehicle relative to the early part of the story. His first car, a 1902 Daimler, is shown right. 

Family lore has it that Edwin Porter became an avid collector of cars, at least 10 over his lifetime, and was particularly proud of his Daimler 1904. Pictures of his cars, now identified, can be found on our Help Page 197. Family has a story that, in the early 1900's, John Porter challenged Sir Walter Gilbey, to a race from London to Folkestone, John in his favourite Daimler and Sir Walter in his Rolls Royce "Silver Ghost". Both were driven by their own chauffeurs and, according to legend, John Porter won, and a silver "Coronation Gift" of Edward VIl's Coronation with insignia "From Sir Walter Gilbey Bart" is an item considered by the family to have been received because of his "victory" in the classic car race! The problem with the story, - is the dates. Edward VIl's Coronation was in 1902, John's first Daimler was 1904, second Daimler was 1906, and that the Silver Ghost was not introduced until five years after the coronation, - in 1907?

Maltby Charabanc in Folkestone

We are not genealogists, nor do we have experience of tracing families, so our results in tracing John Porter are amateurish and rather disappointing. We cannot find him in Folkestone, and we cannot find trace of the J & G Porter company in either London or Folkestone. Perhaps the investigation of 'the person' should be turned over by the family to an expert. 

However, it is interesting to note that if the connection between Porter and Gilbey is correct, it does at least put them both in the same line of business, at the same time and place. Our historical information comes from books, magazines, the press and the internet, which is often based on verbal history and hear-say. Our findings therefore do not guarantee the correctness of the information.

Gilbey, 1831-1914, after returning from the Crimean War, set up in business with his brother as a wholesale wine-merchant. They then diversified in 1857 into retail sales of wine & spirits which included the local London style gin. All their ventures were very successful, moving on to owning theatres and concert halls, vineyards in Medoc and a couple of whiskey distilleries in Scotland. 

In 1872 they started distilling their own gin and by 1895 were marketing Gilbey's Gin under their own name, with other 10 gin distilleries in other countries. In 1893 Walter Gilbey was made a Baronet. By 1962 Gilbey's was the largest wine and spirits company in the United Kingdom. 

So back to John Edwin Porter. Family lore has that John with his brother, George, founded the family business of Continental Carriers which they named G&J Porter in 1878 in Folkestone. The company specialised in the shipping of Champagne and other wines. The company subsequently moved to London. John lived in Bromley, then Sevenoaks Kent, and then moved to Folkestone where he built a big house and acquired the cars. He and his wife travelled the world, leaving the children at home with nannies. 

The family lore historically continues that with the success of G & J Porter, John became a rich man, reputedly one of the richest in Kent. He was also an "entrepreneur". Family lore suggests he then set up the first Bus Service in Folkestone. The busses were all painted green and fought a successful battle against the "Yellow Bus Company" who had set up in competition.

Some of the above items are beginning to tie in, at least about the bus companies because of the mention of green and yellow. There seems to have been six companies to be amongst the first in Folkestone. None of them mention JE Porter and I cannot find any trace of a G & J Porter in Folkestone being involved with transportation. Perhaps, as John has been reported rich, he may have been a large investor in a bus company rather than actually taking active part in running a charabanc company.

While we have not been very successful in finding out where John Porter fits into the Folkstone early bus scene, we have been very much more successful in finding out more about the history of the early bus companies in Folkstone.

The first company operating a 'bus' in the Folkstone district was believed to have been run by Herbert C Salter who operated a steam powered wagonette on runs through Folkstone in a 1901, in a 1901 Lifu Steamer. This vehicle was designed by Henry House who was the American Vice Consul in the Isle of Wight and who had previously built a steamer in Bridgeport in 1866 before coming to UK to manage the Liquid Fuel Engineering Co (LIFU) of Cowes. LIFU made steam vans and busses used countrywide, but cars were made under licence by Steam Car Co Ltd of London. A known survivor of the make is a 1901 10HP 4 seat tourer with a 2-cylinder compound engine.

Another early operator of a charabanc was a Mr Bloom of Hythe whose driver Peter Shubsole was believed to have driven a 1904 MMC Charabanc. Motor Manufacturing Company of Coventry (MMC) was a successor to the Lawson's Great Carriage Car company which had shared factory with the early Daimler UK Operation, and in 1897 was making their own cars using the Gottlieb Daimler engine. The MMC company made a wide range of vehicles, and competition machines, many still partaking on the Brighton Run. MMC had gone out of business by 1908.

Soon after came another bus operator, Folkstone Motors Ltd, started by Thomas Maltby whose son Big Jack was the driver. His vehicle was believed to be an 8HP Daimler. Early UK Daimler history was very complicated and more can be read at our 1902 Daimler article. Gottlieb Daimler was one of the founders of the 'automobile' having developed his vehicle in Canstatt in Germany. The British arm of the Daimler organisation initially sold cars made under licence in the UK but eventually became an independent company in its own right, - and went bankrupt!

Thomas Maltby was also the owner of the Alhambra Music Hall and was a marine salvage contractor. Folkstone Motors had a fleet of Daimler charabancs nicknamed 'Yellow pot/Mustad pots' which started operating between Folkstone and Hythe. 

Initial livery was blue-black with yellow panels, and eventually, mainly yellow, - hence 'Yellow-pots'. The company was eventually taken over by the E V Wills organisation.

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An additional bus operator started at the same time called the Folkstone and District Motor Car Co with connections to Morgan Cycle Works. Shares were issued in the company and it was registered. A prototype vehicle was being considered but  services/vehicles never really got off the ground before the company was wound up.

At about the same time Cann's Patent Motor Coaches came into being run by John Cann, earlier a mining engineer at Kimberley diamond mines. He started initially with a 6HP Daimler machine but changed to a using a couple of MMC buses of 6 and 10HP. 

After 1906 he purchased at least ten much bigger vehicles from 'Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding & Engineering Co', being 50HP six cylinder machines, available as fully open-air charabancs, some partially covered with the back compartment roofed and glass windowed, and some also with the front of the vehicle having a surrey top. Livery was black/primrose and primrose wheels, -yellowy. Company became London & South Coast Motor Service Ltd in 1905 with Cann as MD. 

'Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding & Engineering Co', supplying the charabancs, was based in Greenwich and had obtained in 1898 a marine engine business. This soon successfully diversified into the motor business, initially into vans and lorries, later into cars. Vehicles were based on the Napier pattern for whom the designer C K Edwards had worked, and had mainly six cylinder engines of 45 or 60 HP and higher rating. A 9.5 litre machine set the world record at Brooklands in 1907 of 76mph. 

Passenger cars eventually became relatively expensive which resulted in reduction of sales and eventual closure in 1913. A very large 1913 Thames Stage Coach survives in the Dutch National Motor Museum.

Another prominent competitor started in 1903; 'Pop' or 'Father' E V Wills and his wife Rose Anne came from Chilham to open a garage in Park Road, Cheriton. The photo with the D 1950 charabanc (with the wording Folkstone Sandgate & Hyde Motor Services. - E V Wills Proprietor) is of a 1905 Kent CC registered Iden Maltby Charabanc run by Ernest Valentine Wells. 

He seems to have been very sucessful and  owned a number of similar vehicles for a number of years. Ernest Wills had son, E B Wills, who later ran the Park Road Garage. 

Ernest Wills subsequently took over the competitors 'Folkstone Motors' and their 'Yellow Pots' and ran a very successful company for a number of years. He subsequently sold out to East Kent Road Car Company in mid 1920s. Father and son died same year 1956. They had owned some 27 charabancs including Iden Maltby 30 seaters, and Iden Maltby Sandgate Pullmans. Livery was dark green. 

Iden Maltby charabancs were comprised of chassis made in Coventry by a company owned by George Iden who had previously been working for the MMC organisation, (mentioned above as having ties with the Daimler UK operation). Iden Motor Car Co started 1904 and made a number of sizes of vehicles, including later a front wheel drive landaulette intended for Taxi work.   >>

Charabanc by Daimler, MMC and Iden-Malby

D1950 Iden Maltby Charabanc above was probably powered by a four-cylinder 18HP engine. The chassis was then taken to Folkestone where Maltby Motors put on the body. Maltby Motors was started by John Hugh Maltby whose smithy of 1897 had become in 1903 the Maltby's Motor Works, a specialist coachwork company. They grew to have a number of premises in a number of towns and eventually made their own complete car, the Maltby Redfearn. In 1927 the business was sold to the then MD of Walkers Whiskey Distillery, who in 1935 sold it on to the Caffyns chain.