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what happened to the colection at grange cavern


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cheers guys i was talking about the museum with my brother the other day thats what prompted this thread .

where abouts is that dodge now looks an interesting place .

Has any one else got any photos of grange cavern as it was ,the only ones i can find now are on the urban exploration sites showing it empty an rather sad looking

cheers

Iain

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cheers guys i was talking about the museum with my brother the other day thats what prompted this thread .

where abouts is that dodge now looks an interesting place .

Has any one else got any photos of grange cavern as it was ,the only ones i can find now are on the urban exploration sites showing it empty an rather sad looking

cheers

Iain

The Dodge is here http://www.farmerparrs.com/

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the t16 that was outside went to george sanders of urmston who restored it with his brother from a shell to running condition. i also went to grange cavern as a kid but my memory is sh1te but i do remember an antar outside. i heard off someone that the sexton didn't meet the reserve of £1200 at the auction, i'd happily give them that for it now :D

 

rick

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the t16 that was outside went to george sanders of urmston who restored it with his brother from a shell to running condition. i also went to grange cavern as a kid but my memory is sh1te but i do remember an antar outside. i heard off someone that the sexton didn't meet the reserve of £1200 at the auction, i'd happily give them that for it now :D

 

rick

 

I've got the auction catalogue somewhere Rick with all the prices penciled in it, must dig it out ! more nostalgia. I also have loads of pictures stashed somewhere. Their most famous exihibit was the LRDG Chev smuggled out of the Libian desert in the early 1980's by a bunch of collectors. From what I recall they used a Bedford MK craned or winched it on the back then sheeted it up and drove away.

 

John.

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Eddie, the sexton sold for 1200, i was talking to the chap who bought it not long back.

 

The thing was most of the stuff in museum was only loaned, and then sold without the owners knowing. The damp air really made a mess of things, most of the vehicles were well into rot. Saying that there was some rare stuff in there, but a lot of that has vanished. :-|

 

 

Actually thats quite right, I lost a pretty rusty WW2 Dennis Tipper that way and only found out a long time after. I certainly wouldn't try to recover it this far down the line but it wasn't theirs to dispose of.

I would be happier to learn that someone eventually restored it and wish them well if it still exists.

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I knew someone who obtained & Restored a Kubeklwagen from the Cavern Museum.

Did a nice job too, a LOT of work was required as I would imagine a lot of the vehicles from there. Would also have needed also, due to the damp sea air causing corrosion.

 

I belive, that when the auction was on. One of the items there made the Highest price paid in the UK for an SS Jerry can at the Time. £300 I heard! They are now available if you need one for around £60-£100!............:laugh:

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At the time I visited the museum "fact sheet" listed the collection as:

 

1 - Daimler Dingo scout car

2 - Corgi whel bike (sic) paratroopers bike

3 - Willys jeep

4 - BSA foloding cycle

5 - BSA M20 motorbike

6 - Norton 16H motorbike (W & 79 markings)

7 - Norton 16H (this appears to have been a repeat of the previous listing!)

8 - Triumph motorbike (Guards "seeing eye" markings)

9 - BSA M20 (desert colours; said to have seen service in Libya and returned to UK via Malta)

10 - Beaverette Mk IV

11 - Guy 15 cwt (this was clearly a Quad Ant)

12 - BSA M20 motorbike (a third example?)

13 - Ariel 350cc motorbike

14 - Matchless 350cc motorbike

15 - Motor Guzzi Super Alce motorbike

16 - Sarolea cycle

17 - Condor A580 motorbike

18 - Bedford QL (appears to have been a QLR)

19 - Morris Commercial recovery (appears to have been a CDSW)

20 - Dodge ambulance

21 - Matchless 350cc motorbike

22 - Not listed!

23 - Triumph TRW motorbike

24 - Auto Union (post war 4x4)

25 - Morris Commercial Quad (a C8)

26 - Austin Mini Moke

27 - Austin Gipsy

28 - Bedford MWD 15cwt (roundel on bonnet)

29 - Austin 'tilly' (ex-Ken Dodd; I later saw this for sale at Roy Elvis' establishment and regret not buying it!)

30 - Volkswagen Kubelwagen

31 - Bedford RL

32 - GMC DUKW

33 - Scammell "series 1 heavy recovery tractor" (clearly a Pioneer but was this an SV1S???)

34 - Cable layer

35 - Coventry Climax wheeled generator

36 - Comet cruiser tank

37 - Daimler Dingo (presumably a second example)

38 - AEC Matador O853

39 - Leyland Hippo

40 - Fordson Thames

41 - White M16 halftrack

42 - Petters auxiliary power unit

43 - Thorneycroft (sic) Nubian

44 - Sexton

45 - Austin K9

46 - Austin Champ

47 - Landsvert (sic) Irish armoured car (this was a Ford Mk VI and is mentioned in Karl Martin's book Irish Army Vehicles)

48 - Dennis tipper

49 - Dodge weapons carrier (post war)

50 - Chevrolet heavy utility

51 - Canadian GMC armoured personal carrier (presumably a C15TA)

52 - Canadian Ford LAAT (though described as a heavy gun tractor! Appears to have taken part in Expedition Qattara)

53 - Ford jeep (fitted with desert expansion tank)

54 - Bedord QL (another QLR example)

55 - Anderson shelter

57 - Morris 6cwt wireless truck (presumably a 8cwt(!) FFW)

58 - six wheeled trailer (clearly a 7 1/2 ton light recovery trailer)

59 - Commer Karrier (presumably a Karrier K6)

60 - Cossack motorbike and sidecar

61 - Humber "Pig" APC (photographs show a Malkari variant)

62 - WW1 body carriers / stretchers

63 - Snow blower (Swiss army)

64 - 5.5 howitzer gun

65 - WW1 German 75mm field mortar

66 - T16 bren gun carrier

67 - German Pak 40 by "Metal Borseg Ltd" (??)

68 - Sea mine (found washed up on N Wales coast in 1980)

69 - Bedford OY

70 - Oerlikon 35mm - GD FOO 1 (ex-Argentian Army / Falklands war)

71 - Humber FV1601 (donated by Mr Trevor Harley, Harley's Garage, Mold)

72 - Sherman M4A1 (built by the Lima Locomotive works)

73 - Daimler armoured car

 

And some pictures from the souvenir guide:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grange 3.jpg

Grange 4.jpg

Grange 5.jpg

Grange 6.jpg

Grange 7.jpg

Grange 8.jpg

Grange 9.jpg

Grange 10.jpg

Grange 11.jpg

Grange 12.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

cheers for your replies to my thread i have been a bit slack in all fairness some great imfo and i am really glad to see that there are still at least some of the vehicles not hidden away in storage never to be seen again

cheers again

Iain:thumbsup:

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After Grange Cavern closed the Norton 16H and Bedford MW were on display at the Maes Artro museum near Llanbedr but had gone prior to Maes Artro closing in about 2003. Does anyone know who owned them or where they are now? I always liked the MW which appeared to be very original.

 

Matt.

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  • 2 weeks later...

29 - Austin 'tilly' (ex-Ken Dodd; I later saw this for sale at Roy Elvis' establishment and regret not buying it!)

 

This one belonged to me for a short while. I sold it in 2005. I'm from Holland and that's where this Tilly still is today.

I picked it up in Lincolnshire, at the East Kirkby aviation museum for a friend in 1998. He restored the Tilly and I bought it a few years later.

 

Monica

 

This is what the Tilly looks like now:

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3955860059_92f4a81cd5_b.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

I remember this place as a kid too, would spend the whole day up there. Bought a fair bit of kit off them too, webbing, pouches etc. If I remember right he had it all layed out on a large table in the shop and you had to delve in and grab what you needed. Quite cheap too.

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