Whitlock

Whitlock was a London-based English coachbuilding and manufacturing business whose history extended from horse-drawn vehicles to motor cars, specialist bodies, commercial vehicles, mobile shops, ice-cream vans and repair work. Joseph Whitlock established the company in Holland Park in 1778, initially making coaches and carriages. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the business presented itself as a coachbuilder serving the Royal Family, an indication of the reputation it had developed in the traditional carriage trade. The company entered the automobile sector in 1903 with the Whitlock Century. This was not an entirely indigenous automobile design: it was a rebadged vehicle associated with Century Engineering of Willesden, London, and Whitlock may have supplied or completed its bodywork. In 1904 Whitlock broadened its automobile range with cars using mechanical components, including engines and chassis probably supplied by the French Aster company. Whitlock appears to have contributed coachwork while relying on outside manufacturers for much of the running gear. A separate Whitlock Automobile Company was formed in 1905 to market the Whitlock-Aster cars. Although the cars were reportedly well received, the automobile operation was short-lived and the company closed in 1906. A later phase began through William Lawton-Goodman, who had managed a London operation connected with the Liverpool coachbuilder J. A. Lawton and Company. After a dispute over the inheritance and control of that business following the death of its founder, Lawton-Goodman established Lawton-Goodman Ltd. He acquired the defunct Whitlock name and moved operations to Slade Works in Cricklewood, north London. The company announced new cars, initially under the Lawton name and soon afterward as Whitlock, but the outbreak of the First World War prevented the planned automobile production from becoming established. During the First World War, Whitlock redirected its facilities toward military-related manufacturing. The business built ambulances on its own and other manufacturers' chassis and produced fuselages for de Havilland DH.4 aircraft. After the war, it returned to automobile body and vehicle work. A new range announced in 1924 used purchased engines and chassis, reflecting Whitlock's continuing role as a coachbuilder and low-volume vehicle manufacturer rather than a fully vertically integrated automobile producer. The range included small 11, 12 and 12/35 models, larger 14 or 16/50 cars, and the six-cylinder 20/70, which was produced from 1926 to 1930. The 20/70 used a Meadows engine and featured a radiator design visually associated with nearby Bentley products. William Lawton-Goodman died in 1932, but his sons continued the enterprise. The business increasingly concentrated on commercial-vehicle bodies while retaining some car-body work. During the Second World War, Whitlock again produced ambulances, demonstrating the company's ability to adapt its coachbuilding facilities to wartime transport requirements. In the post-war period, its principal activities appear to have shifted away from passenger cars toward practical specialist bodies, especially mobile shops and ice-cream vans. This work continued into the early 1980s, after which the company focused mainly on repairs. Whitlock's Slade Works lease expired in 1991, and the business subsequently closed. The company is therefore remembered primarily as a long-lived British coachbuilder that briefly entered automobile manufacturing, used externally sourced mechanical components, and later survived through specialist vehicle bodies and repair services. At least one Whitlock automobile is known to have survived, providing a tangible link to its short automobile-manufacturing period.

Whitlock began in 1778 when Joseph Whitlock established a coach and carriage business in Holland Park, London. The company developed within the established British coachbuilding tradition and was later described as a supplier to the Royal Family. Its early business was based on designing and constructing bodies for horse-drawn transport rather than on mechanical propulsion. In 1903, Whitlock moved into the emerging automobile market by selling the Whitlock Century. The car was connected to Century Engineering of Willesden and was likely rebadged or completed with Whitlock coachwork rather than designed and manufactured entirely by Whitlock. In 1904 the company expanded its automobile activities through cars using engines and chassis probably supplied by Aster of France. The mechanical units could be combined with bodies made by Whitlock, allowing the established coachbuilder to participate in car production without developing a complete in-house powertrain. The Whitlock Automobile Company was created in 1905 to market the Whitlock-Aster cars. The cars received a favorable reception, but the venture did not become commercially sustainable and ended in 1906. A separate succession of the Whitlock name followed through William Lawton-Goodman. He had been associated with a London branch of J. A. Lawton and Company, a Liverpool coachbuilder that had also entered automobile body production. After the death of J. A. Lawton and an unfavorable inheritance outcome, Lawton-Goodman formed Lawton-Goodman Ltd, acquired the dormant Whitlock name and moved to Slade Works in Cricklewood. New vehicles were announced under the Lawton name and then rapidly renamed Whitlock. Their intended production was interrupted by the First World War. During the conflict, the company concentrated on ambulances built on different chassis and on fuselages for de Havilland DH.4 aircraft. This wartime work reflected the flexibility of a coachbuilding business whose core capability was the construction of specialized bodies and structures. After the war, Whitlock resumed automobile-related activity. In 1924 it announced a range based on purchased mechanical components. The smaller 11, 12 and 12/35 models used Coventry Climax or Coventry Simplex engines of approximately 1.4 litres, or Anzani engines of approximately 1.5 litres. The larger 14, also identified as the 16/50, used six-cylinder Coventry Climax engines and was produced through 1926. The 20/70, introduced later in the decade, used a six-cylinder Meadows engine of roughly 3.0 litres and remained in production until 1930. Its radiator styling was notably reminiscent of Bentley, whose operations were located nearby. William Lawton-Goodman died in 1932, after which his sons continued the company. Whitlock increasingly emphasized commercial-vehicle bodies while maintaining some automobile bodywork. During the Second World War it again built ambulances. Following the war, the business appears to have focused mainly on specialized practical vehicles, including mobile shops and ice-cream vans. Those activities continued into the early 1980s, followed by a period centered more on vehicle repairs. The company finally closed in 1991 when the lease on Slade Works expired. Whitlock's historical importance lies in the combination of unusually long coachbuilding continuity, brief participation in the British automobile industry, wartime body construction and later specialist commercial-vehicle work. One Whitlock car is reported to survive.

• 1991

  Whitlock closes

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  The company ended operations when the lease on its Slade Works premises expired.

• 1945

  Post-war specialization

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  After the Second World War, Whitlock concentrated increasingly on mobile shops and ice-cream vans.

• 1932

  William Lawton-Goodman dies

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  After Lawton-Goodman's death, his sons continued operating the business, with increasing emphasis on commercial bodies.

• 1924

  New post-war automobile range announced

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  Whitlock introduced a range of cars based on externally sourced engines and chassis.

• 1914

  Wartime manufacturing begins

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  The company redirected its facilities toward ambulances and aircraft fuselages during the First World War.

• 1906

  First automobile venture ends

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  The Whitlock Automobile Company closed after a short period of automobile activity.

• 1905

  Whitlock Automobile Company is formed

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  A separate company was created to market the Whitlock-Aster automobiles.

• 1904

  Whitlock-Aster cars expand the range

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  The company added automobiles using Aster engines and chassis, probably combined with bodies made by Whitlock.

• 1903

  Entry into automobile sales

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  Whitlock began selling the Whitlock Century, a vehicle linked to Century Engineering and likely fitted with Whitlock coachwork.

• 1778

  Joseph Whitlock establishes the coachbuilding business

  [1]Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Whitlock founded the London coach and carriage business in Holland Park.

A traditional London coachbuilder that expanded into low-volume automobiles and later specialized in commercial, emergency and mobile-service vehicle bodies.

• Automobile · 1903

  Whitlock Century

  Introduced in 1903, the Whitlock Century was associated with Century Engineering of Willesden. Whitlock did not independently manufacture the complete car; the vehicle was a rebadged or related Century product and may have received a body constructed by Whitlock. It marked the company's first documented move from traditional carriage work into motor vehicles.

• Automobile · 1904

  Whitlock-Aster

  The Whitlock-Aster cars used mechanical components probably supplied by Aster, the French engine and chassis manufacturer. Whitlock's contribution appears to have centered on coachwork and marketing rather than complete in-house automobile engineering. The range was marketed through the Whitlock Automobile Company from 1905, but the associated operation closed in 1906.

• Automobile · 1924

  Whitlock 11, 12 and 12/35

  Announced as part of Whitlock's 1924 automobile range, these smaller models used purchased mechanical components. Depending on the specification, they were associated with Coventry Climax or Coventry Simplex engines of about 1,368 cc, or an Anzani engine of about 1,496 cc. The range was built only briefly, with the smallest cars continuing until approximately 1925.

• Automobile · 1924

  Whitlock 14 and 16/50

  The larger 14, also known as the 16/50, was a six-cylinder Whitlock automobile introduced in the 1924 range. It used Coventry Climax engines in approximately 1,755 cc or 1,991 cc forms and was produced through 1926. Like other Whitlock cars, it combined an externally sourced mechanical platform with coachbuilt bodywork.

• Automobile · 1926

  Whitlock 20/70

  The 20/70 was Whitlock's largest listed automobile in the 1920s range. Produced from 1926 to 1930, it used a six-cylinder Meadows engine of approximately 2,973 cc. Its radiator styling was noted for resembling that of nearby Bentley automobiles, reflecting the visual conventions of the period's premium British cars.

• Commercial and emergency vehicle bodies

  Whitlock specialist bodies

  Beyond passenger cars, Whitlock constructed bodies for ambulances, commercial vehicles, mobile shops and ice-cream vans. Ambulance production was especially important during both world wars, while post-war mobile-service vehicles gave the company a practical niche after its passenger-car activities had declined.

• 1945

  Emphasize specialist commercial vehicles after the warStrategy

  Background

  After the Second World War, Whitlock's passenger-car manufacturing was no longer its principal activity.

  Action taken

  The business concentrated on mobile shops and ice-cream vans, later shifting mainly toward repairs in the early 1980s.

  Aftermath

  This specialization extended the company's life until the closure of its Slade Works operation in 1991.

  Source

• 1924

  Introduce a sourced-component automobile rangeProduct launch

  Background

  Whitlock continued to rely on its coachbuilding capabilities while sourcing engines and chassis from specialist manufacturers.

  Action taken

  The company announced the 11, 12, 12/35, 14 or 16/50 and later 20/70 models.

  Aftermath

  The range remained low volume and was discontinued over the following years, with production of the 20/70 ending in 1930.

  Source

• 1914

  Redirect production to wartime workStrategy

  Background

  The outbreak of the First World War interrupted plans to establish production of the newly announced Whitlock cars.

  Action taken

  Whitlock concentrated on ambulances built on multiple chassis and on fuselages for de Havilland DH.4 aircraft.

  Aftermath

  The company preserved its manufacturing activity during the war and later returned to civilian vehicle bodies and automobiles.

  Source

• 1905

  Create a dedicated automobile companyStrategy

  Background

  Whitlock's automobile activity had expanded from rebadged and coachbuilt vehicles to cars using Aster mechanical components.

  Action taken

  A separate Whitlock Automobile Company was established to market Whitlock-Aster cars.

  Aftermath

  The operation did not achieve lasting commercial success and closed the following year.

  Source

• 1903

  Enter the automobile market through the Whitlock CenturyProduct launch

  Background

  Whitlock had an established coachbuilding business but no documented history as a complete automobile manufacturer before 1903.

  Action taken

  The company began selling a Whitlock-branded version of the Century automobile and may have supplied its bodywork.

  Aftermath

  The move was followed by an expanded Whitlock-Aster range, although the first automobile company closed in 1906.

  Source

1. 1Whitlock (manufacturing)en.wikipedia.org