Brough Superiors at Clouds Hill

[Ghazala]

Sixteen vintage Brough Superior motorcycles and two elegant Brough cars roared into Clouds Hill last Sunday, delighting volunteers and visitors alike. The bikes made their traditional way down to the cottage and looked fantastic, parked up in front of Lawrence’s secluded retreat.

 

Cake and conversation followed, cups of tea were downed and stories shared. Among the exhaust fumes and engine oil new friendships were made and others renewed. Members of the TE Lawrence Society’s London Group were also in attendance; having enjoyed visits to Wareham and Moreton it was a fitting climax to their stay to experience the special atmosphere of the cottage interiors and the added bonus of the engineering on display outside.  

 

These stunning machines and their riders had come from far afield including many from Germany, but pride of place went to a 1924-5 SS100, Lawrence’s fourth Brough Superior and one still ridden locally by its owner. It was in July 1925 on George IV, as the bike was nicknamed, that Lawrence celebrated the news that his move from the Tank Corps back into the RAF had been approved. As he wrote to John Buchan: “Please inform your family that the bike...did 108 miles per hour...I think the news of my transfer has gone to its heads: (cylinder heads of course).”

 

It’s been a few years since Lawrence’s bolthole witnessed such a gathering of like-minded souls and it was a joy to see so many bikes at this special place.

 

Brough Superior: the words carry real resonance in motorcycling circles and they certainly hang in the air around Clouds Hill. As the afternoon drew to a close it was fitting that George IV was the last to leave; four hundred weight of temperamental mechanics that spluttered and finally purred into action, before it roared back down past the cottage with a final, valedictory, ear-popping backfire. Lawrence would doubtless have approved.            

[DavidOwen]

Good to see.

Bet it was great to hear too.

Thanks for posting.

[Waddell]

Real bikes. 

 

I know an older gent here who has a Brough and is a lifelong Lawrence fan who I will show those images too.

 

Thank you for posting.

 

Scott

Edited 24 August , 2018 by Waddell
Added more.

[David Filsell]

Great stuff. Thanks

[seaJane]

Good to be reminded that TEL and JB knew each other. Sandy Arbuthnot reminds me of TEL, chiefly when he appears in Courts of the Morning.

Edited 27 August , 2018 by seaJane

[bif]

On ‎24‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 09:42, Ghazala said:

John Buchan:

 

9 hours ago, seaJane said:

reminds me of TEL

Isn't "Sandy" the giveaway ???  

[seaJane]

ouch

[delta]

One of Lawrence's Brough under the care of Roy Reiffer who ran the Red Garage at Bovington

 

[Ghazala]

 

 

Lawrence met his death whilst riding his Brough Superior 1932 1000 ccSS100 Registration GW2275.

 

From September 1922 Lawrence owned seven Brough motorcycles and he had nicknames for each of them.

 

1922. Boa, short for Boanerges (Son of Thunder) - the title Jesus gave to disciples James and John.  Nickname was George 1, which cost £150.00,  more than the price of a house at the time.

 

1924. George II.

 

1925.  George III

 

1926.  George IV   (XX7646)

 

1927.  George V  (RK4907)

 

1929.  George VI  (UL656)

 

1932.  George VII  GW2275).  This motor cycle has been in the sole ownership of Mr John Weebly of Ringwood.

 

George VIII was being built prior to Lawrence's  death.   It was never delivered.

 

What would have been Lawrence's 8th Brough, BTO308, was sold through a Cambridgeshire dealer King & Harper, and it's present whereabouts is unknown.

 

Some 1,000 of the 3,000 Brough Superiors made between the two world wars are still in existence and the Brough Superior Club hold excellent records of all Brough's manufactured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Scorer]

There's one in the Imperial War Museum in London which explains that TEL was killed whilst riding a similar machine.

 

I don't think that it claims that it was owned by TEL … does anyone know whether it was, please?

 

Thanks.

[Ghazala]

GW2275 used to be leased to the IWM but was taken out by it’s owner sometime ago.   This was the Brough involved in the accident.

I was not aware the IWM had replaced it with another Brough but it will not be one previously owned by TEL.  They are all accounted for and as shown above, one of them, George IV was at Clouds Hill recently.

[The Scorer]

 

3 hours ago, Ghazala said:

GW2275 used to be leased to the IWM but was taken out by it’s owner sometime ago.   This was the Brough involved in the accident.

I was not aware the IWM had replaced it with another Brough but it will not be one previously owned by TEL.  They are all accounted for and as shown above, one of them, George IV was at Clouds Hill recently.

 

Thanks for your comment.

 

I think that I should have said 'There used to be one' rather than 'There's one', because it was some time ago (before the revamp, actually) that I saw it. It was in the stairwell leading to the basement display area. This area isn't the same now as it was then, and the bike wasn't there when I visited the museum on the last occasion, which I think was earlier this year.

 

[Ghazala]

TEL and his Brough’s

Brough Superiors outside Bovington Medical Centre where TEL died.

[Ghazala]

Taken this morning at Clouds Hill.  We close at the end of the month until next March.

[seaJane]

Lovely!

[Otzi]

About 20 years ago I visited Tony Cripps with a friend. He told us he is or was not the owner of the original Broughs from TEL. He said "there are a lot of rumours about these bikes, but who knows really what, where and who?"

During this visit I tested Tony's own modified Brough on the road in front of his house. He was very stressed when I came back on his precious bike. Maybe Tony tought I wouldn't come back! Hilarious moments!

Kind regards: Otzi, Lommel, Belgium

Edited 21 February , 2023 by Otzi