Description:Clifford gaskin, Foreman Cooper with Joules Brewery, in the driving seat of a 1901 Sunbeam Mabley, pictured at the rear of Stone Town Council offices on Station Road. The occasion was a '1905' bowls match as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of NALGO (National Association of Local Government Officers).
From left to right: Mr A. Holmes, Miss I. Holmes, Mr R.L. Banks, Mrs D.E. Oldham, Mrs I. Bloor, Mr E.J. Warrilow and Mr C. gaskin
Mr Gaskin was well known in Stone as the 'nanny' of this very rare 1901 Sunbeam Mabley car, which had originally been purchased by Joules Brewery for 3170 to enable its representative to visit clients in Market Drayton once a week. Apparently, the rep did not like the car: it was unreliable and he feared its 'phenomenal speed' of 24 m.p.h. top speed. In 1953 the brewery gave Mr Gaskin permission to restore it, and the car was entered into rallies all over the country throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The brewery later sold the car and until recently it could be seen at the Skopos Car Museum in Batley, Yorkshire.
The car, made in Wolverhampton by John Marston Ltd., has a very unusual layout. The wheels are in a diamond formation, and the seats are either side of the drive chain so the passenger and driver sit 'side saddle'. It is probably the oldest surviving Staffordshire registered car.