Primrose Garage
Note: This map only shows the position of Radlett Road, Watford, within the UK. It is not a very long road, these days at least, and any advice on where the Primrose Garage was located will be most welcome.
MR C P B OGILVIE’S HOUSE and PRIMROSE GARAGE: Private aircraft store
Location: Primrose Garage, on the Radlett Road in Watford, his home a nearby bungalow
NOTES: Obviously not a flying site as such, I feel it certainly deserves a mention to prove another very important point in our aviation history. This gentleman, pretty old even in 1948, had set it upon himself to collect and store a huge mass of spurious aircraft parts and remains dating back to the First World War. His bungalow interior was more of a scrap yard than a dwelling fit for human habitation. See page 142 in On Home-Made Wings by Arthur Ord-Hume for extra details. Amongst what was mainly junk at the back of the garage premises Arthur discovered a nearly “as new” Bristol Fighter in bits plus loads of spares. This aeroplane was eventually acquired by the then newly formed Shuttleworth Collection and, after many years of patient restoration was restored to flying condition - as it still is today.
As you might imagine I mention this notable collection of aircraft bits in order to remind us that if it wasn’t for often quite eccentric people quietly collecting, storing and preserving all these bits and pieces - we would certainly not have the wonderful aviation heritage we can appreciate today. The RAF for example seemed hell-bent to destroy everything either not serviceable or immediately suitable for their use as quickly as possible for many decades. Many civilian enterprises copied this approach too. In fact it seems nigh on a miracle that so much has survived.
Gordon Riley
This comment was written on: 2019-06-12 19:34:46Chris Ogilvie was in fact a well-known dealer in aircraft and engines as far back as the early 1920s. P.T. Capon wrote this interesting article for "Motor Sport" magazine in March 1981 and it gives some detailed background on him. The BAT Bantam (K123) and Bristol Fighter (G-AEPH) both ended up with the Shuttleworth Collection, the Brisfit has been flying since the early 1950s but the Bantam languished in a shed until sold in Holland where it has been beautifully restored and is on display in Amsterdam. Shuttleworth's Pup (Dove) passed through Ogilvie's hands before R O Shuttleworth acquired it.
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