Remembering Tilleys of Weymouth and Dorchester

From a family loan the business grew and grew to eventually enjoy so much success that they had outlets and showrooms dotted throughout both towns.

The firm was started by Ernest Tilley. Ernest's father was a jeweller and clockmaker. The business was first called M H Tilley & Son.

Ernest died in 1946. His son John entered the business in 1936 after serving a four-year apprenticeship at the Austin Motor Company Ltd in Birmingham. John's son Mike briefly went into the family business but it was sold shortly after Mike joined it in the 1970s to Wadham Stringer.

From what started as a small outlet rapidly grew into a huge enterprise. The Southern Times featured an article about the business on May 28, 1932, which read: "Examples are not uncommon of a great business being built up with the development and expansion of a town. Dorchester has such an example in the remarkable growth of Messrs. Tilleys business, and nothing quite like it has been seen in the trading life of the county town, nor anything so impressive as the completion of the new buildings of South Street."

Ernest was a native of the county town and spent most of his time managing the outlets up there. He was a former mayor and according to the Southern Times "a respected member of the town council" as well as being a man of keen business insight and perspicacity". The paper clearly had a point - not even the most successful high street stores today could boast such a presence across two towns. He was also reputed to have taught author Thomas Hardy how to ride a bike.

Mike Tilley said of his grandfather: "Ernest was a most capable businessman who not only recognised the opportunities of the dawning motor age but also had the skill, foresight and expertise to harness and develop it.

"Ernest was primarily based in the Dorchester head office and as the business grew he was assisted by his brother Reg who managed to Weymouth side of the business."

Tilleys and Son began life in a corner of Matthew Tilley's watch and clock shop in South Street on February 14, 1893. The Southern Times piece read: "From quite small beginnings has it grown. At the start Mr E W Tilley conducted the business single-handed and without a shop, a room in the house which stood 30 ft back from the pavement being used for a showroom. Later, a canvas awning covered the awning covered the fore court, under which the bicycles were exhibited for sale."

The main South Street building went up in 1895 and in Weymouth, a cycle business was opened in 1899 on the Esplanade and took on an adjoining business in 1902. The Weymouth motor business was opened in a "new and imposing" building in Victoria Street - where the Ferry Bridge Inn now stands - in 1907 and more buildings were opened in 1925 and 1927 "and this is now the most extensive garage and motor engineering building in Dorset", read the Southern Times.

Mike continued: "Ernest died in December 1946 and the business was restructured somewhat. After Uncle Reg retired from the business my father John ran the Weymouth side of things.

"The Tilleys business was sold around 1971 to the Wadham Stringer group who quickly sold off the parts of the business and retained the main garage premises before, in turn, redevelopment beckoned."

The Tilleys name is now gone from Weymouth taking with it generations of motoring history in the two towns. The Tilleys bike shop in Frederick Place is not a part of the group.