Factory correspondence

[charlesp]

I'm still trying to nail down dates and addresses and personalities in the early years.

The most informative sources are always documents, especially letters. One recently uncovered letter has helped me determine that office address at a particular date, and the location of the assemply works, the latter was unknown to me until then.

I'm particularly keen to look at letters and general documents coming from the British Seagull offices in Poole - either the Quay or Hamilton Road - up to the end of WWII. Marston stuff is important, too. I also would like original receipts or bills of sale, particularly if they bear a date and a serial. We have never known, for example, what time of year a particular motor may have been introduced, and that affects the dating process.

We have made fabulous progress with the Marston Register, which I hope will appear on John's site soon. The flow of entries has slowed, but not stopped, and I think it's time to publish our results. Naturally no names or locations will appear, just serial numbers and JM numbers. We have learned a lot from it, and we're planning to expand the exercise in the coming months to include carburettor types, further explore the 'fins or no fins on cylinder heads' question, and nail down a few more elusive matters.

I don't necessarily want to buy your documents, of course, I am mainly after a copy, for the knowledge that may be gleaned from them.