I can excuse the anniversary having slipped past you, but this month (January 2025) is the the 50th anniversary of the first petrol station being opened by Sainsbury’s, then Britain’s leading supermarket and still the second largest chain in the country. So, thanks to BBC News and the Sainsbury Archive, some memories for you, if you’ve ever filled up at the Cambridge store on Coldham’s Lane.
Being CC, we’ll focus on the cars, not the pumps and the payment systems. In the lead picture, a Hillman Avenger, Hillman Super Minx and a Morris Minor are getting their fill. Looking back 50 years, the Minor might seem to be an old car to be in daily service, but production had only ended 5 years before. The Super Minx was potentially older; the Avenger current.
In the background, there’s another Avenger and a Renault 15, with a Mini estate car at the far right.
Above is a Ford Corsair, again a 1960s car and with an unusual two tone paint finish and a 1972 Triumph Dolomite 1850, though not a Sprint with the 16 valve engine. Was the Corsair driver looking at the Dolomite and thinking “maybe next time”?
This BMC ADO17 (Landcrab) Mk 2 looks to be in a posed photo – who fills their car up in the January dusk in shirtsleeves, except supermarket managers? A Hillman Hunter sits on the other side – both were contemporary models.
Another day, and a VW Type 3 Variant, a Ford Escort MK, a Triumph 2000 and Ford Cortina Mk3 moving forward to pay past a Mk2 Cortina estate. On the other side, a Bedford HA van, based on the original 1963 Vauxhall Viva HA and produced until 1983, mostly for the utility companies.
And last , but not least as the driver may reading this, a 1967 BMC ADO16 1100 (Austin? Morris?) in an unusual (aftermarket?) two tone colour scheme and a Vauxhall Viva HC. Opposite, a Mk3 Cortina estate, a Ford Capri, two more ADO16s and an Avenger.
66p is 66p per (Imperial) gallon, equivalent to £5.03 per gallon. The current price is around £1.40 a litre, or £6.35 a gallon.
Hat tip – BBC News and the Sainsbury Archive
Oh, Sir Rog, this year’s the 50th anniversary of Fawlty Towers. Surely, that’s all that matters?
I’ve got to be honest, only the Regie’s 15 and that Volksy Variant have any appeal out of this motely and-about-to-break-down lot. Only oddballs would shout out for the others here.
However, being one – an oddball, not a Renault or a Vwee, natch – I do thank you for this atmospheric post.
I’d agree on Fawlty Towers being something that truly matters.
And we both missed the Simca 1100 in the last shot and the Triumph Herald in the one above – repeat after me “I must try harder!”
“Basil!”
Good variety. I wonder which is older, the Hillman Super Minx or the Ford Corsair? The latter is one of the 1963-65 models (pre Aeroflow and V4), the former 1964-66 with the revised roofline.
I think the 1800 must be a Mk.3 as it’s N reg. (1974-5), not that it looks significantly different from the back.
The rising tide of imports seem to be mainly French (Renault, Peugeot and Simca) or German (VW). Where are all the Datsuns hiding? Maybe they went to Tesco.
These photographs are very much evocative of my childhood. Re the bloke filling up the beige Austin/Morris Landcrab I’m not sure that it is posed. Looking at how he is dressed I’m going to put him at about forty, the same generation as my Dad. Their formative years were shaped by, in order, the end of the depression (no New Deal here) air raid shelters, air raids and carrying a gas mask at all times, work at fourteen for most (grammar school was for about one in ten), National service at eighteen. Until our man was back from his service quite a few things were still rationed. This generation did not swing in the sixties.
In terms of his seeming imperviousness to the cold practically nobody had central heating in the early to mid seventies over here. Heating meant a coal fire or electric heater in the sitting room, this meant the rest of the house was cold during the winter, take my word for it so a warmish January day , seven or eight degrees Celsius wouldn’t be much colder than his house. Being of that generation , and I have this from first hand, filling up in shirt sleeves would be entirely normal. His jacket will be on the back seat so it doesn’t get creased while he’s driving . He’ll probably fill in the note book he keeps a record of his milage and fuel purchases he keeps in the glove box, and if its a Satutday he’ll check the tyre pressure as well. My childhood was , for better or worse, shaped by this generation.
“air raid shelters, air raids and carrying a gas mask at all times, work at fourteen……..
……..the rest of the house was cold during the winter, take my word for it so a warmish January day , seven or eight degrees Celsius wouldn’t be much colder than his house”
And you try telling that to the young people of today, with apologies to Mr M Python.
Now that made me laugh! But equally there’s truth in it. I grew up with parents and even more grandparents who had endless stories about the ‘good’ old days that implied that wanting to live in a warm house, buy what you want provided you can afford it, and have fun made you in some way a hopelessly decadent sybarite. This simultaneously made you feel a bit guilty but not enough not to rebel. The trouble is I now hear my Dad’s voice when I talk to my kids (18 to 27) “we didn’t have the Internet, mobile phones, identity politics” . I’ll wait until Cleese, Chapman, Idle and Co to arrive and take my que.
Queue.
Many people in the UK lived like my family in South Wales who only got a flushing toilet in the 70s (still outside though!) and never had a bathroom, although there was a sink in the main room with running water. To bathe on “bath night” we used to heat water in a huge kettle over the open coal fire and fill a steel “pit bath” that was hung up on the wall when not in use. Electricity was on a coin fed meter and there was no TV, only a radio in that house. There was no car, of course, as it was only a 300yd walk to the pit.
“Corridor? We used to dream of a corridor!”
We used to dream of an electric fire in the sitting room….
Sitting room? Luxury!
The first Metric gas station in Canada, was a Sunoco in Downtown Toronto. Began serving in Metric on April 8, 1975. Regular grade gas sold for 14.4 cents a litre; which worked out to slightly less than 65 cents an Imperial gallon
Great to see colors other than metallic gray, white and black…
Isn’t it? I’m rather partial to that yellowy-tan on the 1800.
The main neighborhood grocery chain in the DC area where I grew up in the ’70s was Giant Food, which as it turns out was briefly partly-owned by Sainsbury’s, but is now owned by the Dutch firm Ahold Delhaize. I don’t recall any ever having fuel pumps at a Giant. Giant’s main competitor was Safeway which also didn’t sell gasoline in my area, although there’s one in a rural area near here that does. The one non-oil company fuel station in the suburbs when I was young was outside the Sears auto center, across from the Giant. Their pumps had a lever that let you customize the octane level to any of five settings. Sears was at their very height at this time, with about 3,500 stores in the US plus a thriving catalog-order business, which is how you ordered stuff by mail before you could go online. The last time I looked there were only 7 Sears stores left, and they’re sad, largely deserted threadbare places with haphazard merch selection.
The big trend in refueling stations in the 21st century has been pumps owned by convenience stores like Wawa and Sheetz with no affiliation with oil companies. Many stations that do fly an oil-company banner have ditched the traditional attached service center for a convenience store, which is often more profitable than gasoline or diesel. Who’s buying all those Pepsis and cheese curls, I haven’t a clue.
One other notable retailer with gas pumps at some location is Costco, which charges you about $100/year for the privilege of shopping there, but it’s worth it for many for their large packages and high-quality items at rock-bottom prices. That extends to the gasoline, which is far less expensive that anyplace else, though you may have to wait 10 minutes to get to a pump during popular times. Costcos are widespread in the US now, and have a smattering of stores in other countries including the UK.
I buy almost all of my fuel at Costco. They add a small markup to whatever they pay, and there’s your price. When fuel prices are coming down everywhere else, Costco might be just a touch cheaper. But when fuel prices get raised (which seems to happen both randomly and often) the savings is substantial. And if you pay with their credit card, you get a rebate on all of your fuel purchases, which makes the deal even better.
Costco is usually the cheapest option in my town but it’s tough there filling up my van with its extended mirrors, the pump islands are so close together. If a similar van HD or HD pickup need to pass between cars one or both often have to fold mirrors to clear. And since it has four pumps in line in each island waiting for more clearance can be eternal. And they have no windshield washing supplies, not even paper towels.
Also, if your Costco gas station (like the one here) is plagued by huge queues that can be 15-20 cars, note that the pumps open about an hour before and close an hour later (some days more) than the store itself. I usually try to hit the pumps at about 9:20pm, 50 minutes after the store has closed, and when there are usually no lines at all.
I keep being drawn to that stupid white Hillman Avenger in the background of multiple shots, which was (briefly) known Stateside as the Plymouth Cricket.
Slightly unusual as the rear numberplate has been displaced from the usual below bumper position by a tow hook. Let’s hope it has the 1500 rather than 1300 engine.
Isn’t the blue car in the first pic a “Hillman”?
Yes – a Hillman Avenger
My U.S.-based self came here to make the same observation… two Avengers in one set of scenes!
Roger, these are great pictures – thanks for putting this together.
Great pictures and commentary – I love these everyday shots, and having never been to Europe, those gas pumps look mighty peculiar to me.
Here’s a typical gas station in Virginia, also from 1975. One detail that’s not seen much anymore are gas stations with racks of tires for sale. Few folks get new tires at gas stations these days.
Here’s a woman filling up at the same station – though a few years later (1978-79). The tires on the racks are all snow tires this time:
The station just gets them shipped in of one is getting tires.
Also, stacks of oil cans out by the pumps. Gas stations still sell oil, but less of it and it’s usually indoors in plastic bottles.
There are likely too many sizes and types of tires for gas stations to be able to stock them all. It’s not unusual for a car nowadays to have any of three diameters/widths of tire depending on trim level (my Golf was available with five sizes from 15 to 19″). And the market has become very fragmented – ultra-high-performance tires, summer tires, true snow-rated all-weather tires, soft-riding touring tires, long-life tires, all-terrain tires, run-flat tires, etc.; it would be hard to stock a decent selection. Plus larger sizes for SUVs.
The inevitable Hillman Avenger of Britain in the 70s.
The previous winter would have been very different during the ‘3 day week’ when we were issued with coupons in preparation for patrol rationing.
Petrol seemed to be … One week 25 pence per gallon the next 50p .
Shots from the good old days when you had to hold onto the charging cable regardless of the weather. So much easier nowadays when you can get a coffee and sit in the warm while you refuel, knowing the app will stop any fuel escaping.
In 1973, Canadian Tire Gas Bars began experimenting, offering both full serve and self serve islands, at some of their stations. The self serve pumps, with lower prices, proved popular. Imagine the cost today, of maintaining such a large facility, offering these service choices. Notice all the fluorescent tube lighting to take care of. Note as well, that islands didn’t have protective bollards back then, as we often see today.
David Mann (Dennis Weaver) can be seen here, preparing to refill his Plymouth Valiant himself.
In 1969, Shell Canada experimented with this ‘mini’ gas station. That sold gas, and offered basic services. Cost to build was $10,000.
Hadn’t seen a Corsair before. Nice-looking car, reminds me of a 70s Toyota.
I believe that the ADO16 in the last picture is an Austin – the dashboard and rear badge give it away. It may also be a ‘B’ registration, which means it’s from 1964; given its tired-looking condition, that’s more likely. I don’t think the colour scheme is original, and it appears to be missing its rear overriders and to have a Morris rear hubcap, which suggests it’s being run on a tight budget.
Don’t sleep on the powder blue Citroen DS, which could be a Pallas, under the 66p sign on the upper right of the last picture.
I assume you paid inside the store?
As far as I can tell the blue car next to the Simca 1100 is a Viva Estate just like the one in front. A DS is narrower at the back with high indicator lights.
It’s a DS like one I had – the lower taillights, truck vs. hatch, and the curving trim all give it away. And if you look closely you can just make out the upper light indicators.
I have to go with Marcel Bruning on this – definitely a Vauxhall Viva HC estate
THANK YOU for the wonderful old pictures .
I worked for Atlantic Richfield when they became ‘ARCO’, our filling station had been built in 1923 and had a tiny island with three pumps .
Good times, crappy pay .
-Nate
It is great to see a landcrab. My first car was a 65 (i.e. a mark 1), so it had the horizontal tail lights. Neither one is very good looking, but I prefer the earlier version.
Growing up my best friend’s mother had a Morris 1000, and in high school there were several owned by students, including a Traveller with timber.
I had a rather exciting tour of some narrow rural roads in Sussex in a Triumph Dolomite Sprint. I was visiting England on holiday from Canada and I met some friends from our English office and one of them took me around in the Triumph. I found it pretty impressive.
The Ford Corsair fooled me at first. The roof line made me think it was a Rover P6, but they were much more common in Canada. I don’t think the Corsair was sold here.
That was one of my bete noirs as a child – the MK1 Landcrab was neat, if very oddly-proportioned.
Then they quickly re-tooled the rear to make it look like something from the 1959 fin-era and it looked stupid. Something a bit boxier (like the bigger Landlobster) would have been more justifiable and balanced the design a bit more.
There were thousands of independent garages around at that time – attendant-serviced. Those self-service mega-stations confused a lot of people back then. Those independents now mostly have housing on them.
The few that made it have silly pop-in shops instead of service bays; so Fat Margaret leaves her SUV askew by the pump for ages whilst she buggers around buying processed junk and the queues tail back…buying squirt is a real PIA these days. I can understand the appeal of a BEV sometimes.
Totally agree about the Landcrab restyle. If us kids could see it looked wrong, why… oh, that’s right, BMC/BL. Sad, that. Yet fast forward 50 years and the Mark 1 proflie still looks surprisingly modern.
Indeed: its proportions equate to a C-segment of a generation ago, but with surprisingly-better interior space.
That a bunch of Bogans turned it into the X6 Tasman/Kimberley (hardly beautiful, but better-balanced) showed just how little the Limeys at BMC understood.
Yet the original did have its merits…
As an American, I too am drawn to the Avengers in these shots, and that statistical sampling would reinforce how well the little Hillman did in most markets other than NA. Chrysler had a hard time in those days telling itself from a hole in the ground: while they were marketing the Cricket (what someone here called the “stupid Cricket”) in Plymouth showrooms, Lynn Townsend, the President of Chrysler was simultaneously denouncing subcompact cars AND saying that Chrysler would soon, soon, soon commit to their domestic R-429 project — while simultaneously shutting down their Hillman and Simca dealership agreements in the most heinous manners (leaving their existing US Hillman dealers to argue in court they were entitled to market the Cricket because it was in fact a Hillman — back in the day when captive imports and rebadging were fairly new concepts. The dealers won). Yes, the Cricket had its problems (low power for NA, rust, poor parts supplies), but no worse than problems of the Beetle, Vega or Pinto (take your pick: gas tank up front, under-powered, massive and fast rust, massive explosions, etc etc). In fact, the Cricket offered excellent handling from its four-link rear suspension, four doors (FOUR DOORS) and a head start in safety equipment. In its marketing, Chrysler failed to so much as mention that the bodyshell’s torsional rigidity was one of the first to be refined by Computer Aided Design. In the end, no product can survive the willful ignorance of its management. Mitsubishi to this day is paying for its masochist grovelling to Chrysler. Chrysler itself presented the Cricket as a stopgap measure and proceeded to kick it around in the market. Of course it was an epic failure. Of course.
Well, that’s just Chrysler, isn’t it?
A long history of complete ineptitude, interrupted by brief periods on extreme brilliance.