NEW LEASE SIGNED ON MONKS LANE FILLING STATION - 30.01.12
Quintons are pleased to have recently let the old electric filling station at the corner of Monks Lane /Newtown Road, Newbury. The new tenant is Mr Mukiella Rama who has previously operated hand car wash businesses at Faraday Road and more recently at the old Texaco petrol filling station on London Road. Mr Rama is delighted with his new premises and extremely pleased with the service given to him by Quintons. Shane Prater from Quintons has negotiated all three deals for Mr Rama over the last 7 years and Mr Rama says “Shane is the best”.

Work is being carried out at Mr Rama’s new premises and should be completed in two weeks so that Newbury Hand Car Wash can be opened as soon as possible. Opening times will be Monday to Saturday 8am until 7pm and he hopes to open on a Sunday from 9am until 5pm. Many people in the town will be delighted that Muki is back!

Some interesting history has been written about the GRADE II Listed Newbury Electric Filling Station which opened in 1934. When it was built the A34 (Newtown Road) was the main trunk road. The service station was designed and built by R. A. Wickens, a local builder, for Mr Murray and Mr Whitaker who owned two other filling stations in the area at the time.
The filling station was known locally as the ‘electric garage’ because it featured the new electronically operated petrol pumping system rather than hand pumps. The filling station was advertised at the time as the most modern filling station in the district. At the time, a gallon of petrol cost 1s, 6d or 7 1/2p. Calladine & Morrison 1998 said it was “The first building to clearly announce itself as a functional building self-consciously devoted to the service of the automobile.”
At the start of the 20th century petrol was sold in cans. With the growth of the automobile industry came the sale of petrol from roadside hand pumps. The combined effect of the 1927 Roadside Petrol Pumps Act and the Petroleum Act of the following year meant the appearance of new electric filling stations from where petrol was to be sold. The stations provided suitable covered areas for filling up vehicles and other amenities such as toilets. Later changes in transport needs, coupled with cars capable of carrying more fuel, led to more people filling up further from home.

Quintons are delighted that this wonderful old building has been put to good use again and wish Mr Rama every success.

Information courtesy of the risky buildings web site and Sarah Duncan.