1. 1930's Wolseley 14/56.
Quite a few photos of pre-war Wolseleys appear on this page, their exact model(s) as yet unidentified. Fortunately the front-end view of this particular car clearly shows the "14" legend beneath the (illuminating) Wolseley radiator badge. The registration RJ 6509 suggests that the car spent its early years in the Salford area of Manchester.
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The first shot shows the 14hp Wolseley parked up at the side of a road, the driver's door not quite fully closed. The coachwork on Wolseleys of this era was based on contemporary Morris cars. The inclusion of a pronounced boot "hump", revised bonnet side panels and of course the upright Wolseley radiator grille, being the key visual differences between the two marques. Wolseley was, by this time, owned by William Morris, having been purchased in 1927. From 1935 Wolseleys began to share their overall body design with Morris cars.
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The second shot presents a side view of the same Wolseley, two people stood with it. The car looks a lot grubbier in this shot, the chrome hubcaps looking very dull. A 1940s Hillman Minx can just be made out in the background. There's a sign for a Ball attached to the fence, due to take place on Saturday 7th April, but sadly no other details are legible. Apparently, the 7th April was a Saturday in 1945, 1951 and 1956, thus narrowing down the possible dates for this photo.
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There were several different Wolseley Fourteens produced in the mid-late 1930s. The 14/56 has a very similar look to the car shown above, its windscreen surround dropping down to a point at each lower corner. The later 14/60 had a curvier screen surround, and also a different style of bonnet, which makes me think that this is a Series II Wolseley 14/56, circa 1936.
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2. Another 14hp Wolseley.
Unfortunately this next car's registration isn't visible, but the car again appears to be a 14hp Wolseley saloon of the mid/late 1930s. This 14/56 is in fine fettle indeed, its paintwork and chrome plate glistening on a hot summer's day. A pre-war tax disc and AA member's sticker are in the screen, suggesting that the car was quite new at the time of this photograph. With the exception of two aftermarket wing mirrors, it looks otherwise factory standard. Who the dapper chap holding the pipe is I don't know.
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Return to Page 12 in the vintage car gallery. Some firsthand recollections of owning a Wolseley Fourteen now feature on this page within the Motoring Memories section of the site.
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