When You Are Caught in the Headlights You Can Sometimes See Red!

Dennis Specialist Vehicles was an English manufacturer of commercial vehicles based in Guildford, building buses, fire engines, lorries (trucks) and municipal vehicles such as dustcarts. All vehicles were made to order to the customer's requirements and more strongly built than mass production equivalents. For most of the 20th century the Dennis company was Guildford's main employer.

Following a decade of financial difficulties original shareholders sold out in 1972 and Dennis's ownership has since passed through quite a number of hands. The Woodbridge site was sold and a new small factory built in Slyfield remains in use by lineal business descendant, bus-maker Alexander Dennis. No Dennis haulage trucks have been built since 1985. The last Dennis fire engine left the Guildford factory in 2007.

The Dennis brand is still used on Alexander Dennis buses, Dennis Eagle dustcarts and Dennis mowers.

Dennis Brothers was founded in 1895 by brothers John Cawsey Dennis (1871–1939) and (Herbert) Raymond Dennis (1878–1939) who made Speed King bicycles. They built the bicycles, initially from bought-in parts, and sold them from their shop, The Universal Athletic Stores, in High Street, Guildford. They made their first motor vehicle in 1898, and in 1899, their first car, The Dennis Light Doctor's Car. Though shown at the National Cycle Show this car was never put into production.

After incorporating Dennis Brothers Limited, in which they were given generous financial support by local cyclists and potential motorists, the brothers began car production around 1901. John Dennis built a 30,000 square foot three storey plus basement building in Onslow Street in the centre of Guildford with a lift between floors later known as the Rodboro Buildings. This was the first purpose-built motor vehicle factory in Britain.

Their range of cars was quickly extended to 12 hp, 14 hp, 16 and 20 hp chassis fitted with tourer, town car and limousine bodies. From the Dennis Brothers stand at the 1903 Crystal Palace Motor Show the brothers sold almost £30,000 worth of cars and took many more orders. Larger models followed their first light cars. A 35 hp model in 1906 was powered by a White and Poppe engine. This power unit was soon fitted to all their vehicles.

Until well into the early years of the twentieth century the back wheels of most vehicles were driven by a chain from each side of a differential fixed to the chassis frame. Dennis Brothers developed and patented a reliable worm drive into a differential mounted on the back axle. Another feature of that period was spring drive, a torsional shock absorber mounted at the input end of the drive line.

Commercial vehicle activity increased. Their first was a van for Harrods in London. Dennis made its first bus in 1903 and their first fire engine in 1908 — for Bradford Council Fire Department. The last car was made in 1913 after the Dennis brothers saw there was less competition in the commercial vehicle market.

The rate of growth of the business may be gauged from the regular expansions on their new site at Woodbridge Hill on the outskirts of Guildford — in 1907, 1910, 1912 and 1913. In 1913 Dennis Brothers moved their main operations to a new much larger building of almost four acres on the twelve-acre site at Woodbridge leaving their purpose-built Onslow Street premises solely for repairs.

In March 1913 the investing public learnt that Dennis Brothers was a manufacturer of motor-vans, motor-lorries, motor-fire-engines, motor-cars etc. The brothers' offer of shares to the public was substantially over-subscribed and Dennis Brothers Limited became a publicly listed company. Rising international tensions precipitated a major contract for supply of 1,000 3-ton "subsidy" lorries to private buyers on terms set by the War Office. Taking the subsidy obliged the buyer to release the vehicle to the War Office in time of war. Materials had been ordered but no subvention lorries completed when the situation changed.

The 1930s
The decade began with the Great Depression. Diesel engines were in demand for larger commercial vehicles. New Dennis buses were a double-deck Lance and single-deck Lancet. The Dennis Ace, a smaller twenty-seater bus was brought into production in 1933 using the chassis of Dennis's small lorry. The Arrow Minor followed in 1935 and a new Falcon chassis in 1938.

John and Raymond Dennis built 223 houses for their workers, 102 of them on a 20 acres estate in Woodbridge Hill for their Coventry motor workers who brought production of White & Poppe engines to Guildford in 1933. The area took on the name Dennisville.] Both brothers died in 1939 and they are commemorated in the names of Dennisville's St John's Road and Raymond Crescent.

For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Specialist_Vehicles

Some rights reserved

Taken in: UK / England / Guildford District / Guildford (show map)

Taken on: October 8, 2021

Tags:

Dennis Specialist Vehicles

Headlights

The Dennis Ace

Single-deck Lancet

Red

THE GALAXY

ContactGroups « less

Sets appears in: • Orange Rain & Other Images

Groups appears in: • Rural Photos • Artistic Originals © ◈ Post 1 Award 1 ◈ more » • Art-Color-Fun. (Pos 1, Award on 2) • ***Ineffable*** Award 3 • Art of Images ~ AOI L1~ ( Post 1, Award 3) NO "AI Portraits" • bitches brew | NO PEOPLE!!! • Moon's Eclipse P1/A2 • Artistic Expressions ~ Photography and Manipulations ~ 1(one) p • :: Arte De Luz :: • Magic Universe P1/A2 - Active Sweeper • Solidarity against cancer ♠ Solidaridad contra el cáncer • THE HYPOTHETICAL AWARDS..*Post 1 ~ Award 1 • AT YOUR BEST(EACH PHOTO NEEDS ADMIN. INVITATION) • Texture Infinite Book P1/A3 • Cool Creative Capture [ p1 / a1 ] • Art, and Soul 4 U • Art for Peace! • The Galaxy & Stars 1 (P1/C5 - No AI Images • ART MIX P1/A3 • Circle Crazy! • THE ONLINE MUSEUM OF ART MODERN P1, C-1 • The Masters of Art ~ Comment 2 • Art Without End ... [P1/C3] • Universal Art • !Art Book (18+) • The Blind Pig Speakeasy • Worlds Of Thrylium - NO SECOND LIFE • * Textura * - CLOSED TEMPORARILY • Art Dreamed ¤ No Second Life Images • THE IMAGINATIVE CAMERA • CONTACT GROUPS [ POST 1 - AWARDS 5 ] • -- Circles & Spheres -- RE-OPENED! • Uncomplicated and Uncluttered • *** !* ART *! BNNRRB Group *** • Carolina's farm friends - P1/C3 • Bits And Pieces • MakeLove☮NotWar • The Golden Horse Impressionists - Only your BEST ARTWORK! • ATRHON - URBAN ARTS Abstracts Group • Photos Thru Your Lens, (No People) P1,A1 or MORE at the time of • Paint a Picture « less

Camera: Nikon D80, f/6.3, 1/640 sec, 70mm (=105mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D80
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length:	70mm (35mm equivalent: 105mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.00
Show full info

Stats: 10,740 views / 412 comments

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: