Bingley Hall car show query.

[AlanC]

Hello all. I'd better introduce myself.

I'm an Australian now, but had a house in Stafford from 1981 to 1987. I also lived there many years with my folks, when Dad was stationed at RAF Stafford on several tours. I went to St. Patricks and King Edward VI schools.

My parents have returned to Stafford and I visit regularly. The last time was July/August last year, and I'll be going again in May/June.

So I'm a part time Staffordian and committed nostalgist, which several threads here have encouraged.

I want to ask a favour. I'm trying to pin down some photo sets I've scanned from the 80s, and I've come across a classic car show in one of them. I believe it was at Bingley Hall in either 1986 or 87. Here's a photo:

I've searched the Web for historical Bingley Hall events, but mostly just concerts come up.

Does anyone know when this show was on? If I can get the exact event dates it helps put several sets of photos on a timeline, and not just "taken sometime in the 80s".

Thanks in advance for any help.

Alan

 

[PeterD]

This may be of some help, MG used Welcome to the open road show in 1986.

 

[AlanC]

This may be of some help, MG used Welcome to the open road show in 1986.

Thanks! It does help, because that puts me firmly in 1986 now.

 

[Gramaisc]

If you can read them, there may be clues to narrowing down the date in the expiry dates on the tax discs.

I did a few shows up there in the 80s, but there was little to differentiate one from another in my head at this distance.

 

[Mudgie]

If you can read them, there may be clues to narrowing down the date in the expiry dates on the tax discs.

I did a few shows up there in the 80s, but there was little to differentiate one from another in my head at this distance.

They look purple which is expiring from January to December 1987 and so suggests 1986 or 1987.

 

[Gramaisc]

They look purple which is expiring from January to December 1987 and so suggests 1986 or 1987.

And they might not all be full year discs on cars like those.

 

[proactive]

They look purple which is expiring from January to December 1987 and so suggests 1986 or 1987.

August '86 to July '87 for purple.

 

[Mudgie]

And they might not all be full year discs on cars like those.

Yes but, whether for twelve months or less, a '1987' tax disc couldn't have been sold before 1986 and couldn't have been valid after 1987.

 

[Mudgie]

August '86 to July '87 for purple.

Are you sure ?
I remember a colour being for expiring during a particular calendar year and this shows purple as 1987.
creativetaxdiscs.co.uk/page102.html

 

[proactive]

I stand corrected then.
So purple would have been in use from July 1985 the end of July 1987 ?

No. I stand corrected I was thinking of registration letter years. Any car taxed during 1987 would have been issued a purple tax disc.

 

[Mudgie]

No. I stand corrected I was thinking of registration letter years. Any car taxed during 1987 would have been issued a purple tax disc.

Surely any vehicle taxed for twelve months anytime during 1986 would have a purple tax disc, also any vehicle taxed for six months during the first half of 1987.

 

[AlanC]

Thanks for the replies. I've had a closer look at the original photos and scans, but I can't get any more detail out of them.

Except there's a white MG TA exhibited by "Mervyn Davies". Hopefully Mervyn is a member here, and will suddenly recall everything. Then again it's such a rare name

This detective work is addictive. There's one Xmas set that could have been 84, 85 or 86. Then I noticed a Radio and TVTimes on the carpet in one photo (I always was an untidy bugger). Couldn't read the dates, but there was enough detail in the covers to compare with online cover archives - bingo! Christmas 1985!

 

[proactive]

Surely any vehicle taxed for twelve months anytime during 1986 would have a purple tax disc, also any vehicle taxed for six months during the first half of 1987.

Tax Disc - Tax Disc Colours by Year

Customised Tax Disc

www.creativetaxdiscs.co.uk

I stand corrected again. I really should know better...

 

[Gramaisc]

In the early 80s, I built an open car and, concerned about getting the tax disc stolen, I constructed a 'porthole' with eight bolts around it, to partially obstruct a thief. I used an old disc from my bike as a template and left it in place, intending to change it when I could finally get a 'real' one.

Driving the car back from its first (failed) MOT test, a cop car passed in the opposite direction as I was turning into Sandon Road from Beaconside. The driver was very clearly staring at the tax disc location. I resolved to get home as quickly as possible and remove the fake disc, not only years out-of-date, but for another vehicle...

I managed to undo all the little bolts and get the disc out - and nobody had arrived by that point. Just in case Mr Plod did appear, and throw a strop because I had outwitted him, I decided that I had better put a new disc in the bike, even though it was parked off the road, it had been in my wallet for a few days.

When I took the real new disc out, I discovered why Mr Plod had not pursued me - the old disc was so old that it was the right colour.

I had never really thought about that aspect before, but I do wonder how many people did just keep recycling old discs in the right sequence, to pass the general cursory glance? You could do that in reasonable safety, if the old disc was still in the same 'style'.

 

[Gramaisc]

Except there's a white MG TA exhibited by "Mervyn Davies". Hopefully Mervyn is a member here, and will suddenly recall everything. Then again it's such a rare name

He is mentioned here, though the implication is that he is/was not very local to Stafford.

Ripon Old Cars Gathering 2005

 

[Mudgie]

In the early 80s, I built an open car and, concerned about getting the tax disc stolen, I constructed a 'porthole' with eight bolts around it, to partially obstruct a thief. I used an old disc from my bike as a template and left it in place, intending to change it when I could finally get a 'real' one.

Driving the car back from its first (failed) MOT test, a cop car passed in the opposite direction as I was turning into Sandon Road from Beaconside. The driver was very clearly staring at the tax disc location. I resolved to get home as quickly as possible and remove the fake disc, not only years out-of-date, but for another vehicle...

I managed to undo all the little bolts and get the disc out - and nobody had arrived by that point. Just in case Mr Plod did appear, and throw a strop because I had outwitted him, I decided that I had better put a new disc in the bike, even though it was parked off the road, it had been in my wallet for a few days.

When I took the real new disc out, I discovered why Mr Plod had not pursued me - the old disc was so old that it was the right colour.

I had never really thought about that aspect before, but I do wonder how many people did just keep recycling old discs in the right sequence, to pass the general cursory glance? You could do that in reasonable safety, if the old disc was still in the same 'style'.

Brown was discontinued as one of the colours after Guinness bottle labels were a cheap alternative to the 1962 discs.

 

[Gramaisc]

Brown was discontinued as one of the colours after Guinness bottle labels were a cheap alternative to the 1962 discs.

The two discs above were brown, 1982 and 1978.

 

[Mudgie]

The two discs above were brown, 1982 and 1978.

So I'm mistaken then, and it's not as if the two are remarkably similar ;

or even the older version

 

[Gramaisc]

So I'm mistaken then, and it's not as if the two are remarkably similar ;

There is still a requirement to display tax discs on the next island to the west, and insurance discs and even test discs, after four years old, although the latter two are generally square rather than circular.

False discs are detected, not always of a high quality.

 

[Noah]

It was the old style Guinness labels with numbers on that were reputed to have been used as tax discs. Think this type of label was in use until the early '50s