Tickhill Garage

Maurice Preece

By the end of the First World War, the motorcar was gaining in popularity; in 1919, Maurice Preece took advantage of this and established a motor repair service and petrol station on Castlegate. In the early years motor repairs could be difficult because spare parts were virtually non-existent; often the repairer had to make them himself.  Initially petrol was only sold from cans but in 1920 a pump was installed in Castlegate - one of first kerbside pumps in the district.

A few years later, a Wolseley bus with solid tyres was acquired, and Maurice Preece became the first to offer a regular passenger service between Tickhill and Doncaster: a single fare costing 1/3. This was followed by the introduction of a taxi service, in the shape of a Model T Ford, which rapidly became a popular form of transport for passengers to Doncaster, Bawtry and Retford railway stations. During the Second World War, the garage was used as fuelling point for Civil Defence and army units in the area.

By 1945, the sons of Maurice Preece formed a partnership to update the business; in 1961 the garage was modernised to include a car showroom, a large stock of tyres and spares, large maintenance depot, five petrol pumps and an MOT testing centre.