Woodall Nicholson

Woodall Nicholson was a British coachbuilder . The company initially produced complete vehicle bodies. After the Second World War , he concentrated on converting production vehicles. Woodall Nicholson was at times one of the UK's largest funeral vehicle manufacturers .

Company history

Woodall Nicholson, based in Halifax , went back to the cartwright business Piercy's , which had existed since the 18th century. In 1873 Thomas Woodall Nicholson took over the business and renamed it using his family name. After his death in 1914, his sons Charles and Herbert ran the company; a little later Herbert withdrew for health reasons. After Woodall Nicholson ran into economic difficulties in 1929, several local businessmen, including Charles Woodall Nicholson's son-in-law, took over the management. In 1982 the company was taken over by its competitor Coleman Milne , who initially continued Woodall Nicholson as an independent brand, but discontinued it in 1987.

The traditional name is used today as a company of the Woodall Nicholson Group . It emerged from a restructuring of Coleman Milne. The Woodall Nicholson Group includes the brands Coleman Milne (for passenger vehicles) and Mellor Coachcraft (for commercial vehicles). Vehicles bearing the brand name Woodall Nicholson, however, are no longer sold.

Models

A Ford Granada converted into a hearse by Woodall Nicholson

Woodall Nicholson Kirklees (BMC ADO71)

After Woodall Nicholson had initially manufactured bodies for carriages , the company produced its first automobile bodies before the outbreak of the First World War . In the 1920s, Woodall Nicholson dressed Austin , Crossley , Wolseley and Rolls-Royce chassis . It produced complete vehicle bodies. In each case, it was an individual, not mass-produced body that was tailored to the needs of the respective customer. After the management was changed at the beginning of the 1930s, the company's focus changed: The production of individual vehicle bodies declined and was permanently discontinued in 1937, after a Hispano-Suiza chassis had also been bodied at the customer's request. Instead, the company specialized in converting (used) Rolls-Royce models into funeral vehicles.

After the Second World War, Woodall Nicholson continued the production of funeral vehicles, in addition to the extension of series sedans, each of which was provided with an additional row of seats and some were delivered as six-door models. The basis were often mid-range sedans from Ford ( Zodiac , Granada ) or Vauxhall . In 1978, an extended four-door version of the BLMC Princess (ADO 71), which was called Woodall Nicholson Kirklees , was produced in small numbers . After the takeover by Coleman Milne, a few examples of an extended version of the Rover 800 were made . Some elongated Mercedes-Benz sedans are currently available under the Woodall Nicholson brand.

In individual cases, Woodall Nicholson also produced prototypes for series manufacturers. This included the BMC Aquila presented in 1973 , the prototype of a potential - but not yet realized - successor to the Austin Maxi .

literature

• Nick Walker: AZ of British Coachbuilders 1919-1960 . Shebbear 2007 (Herridge & Sons Ltd.) ISBN 978-0-9549981-6-5 .

Web links

Woodall Nicholson's website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Description and illustration of the Kirklees on the website www.aronline.co.uk (accessed on March 13, 2014).
2. ↑ Description and illustration of the Aquila on the website www.aronline.co.uk ( Memento of the original from December 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on March 13, 2014).