James and Browne

James & Browne were automobile manufacturers, based in Hammersmith, London between 1898 and 1910.

The James & Browne factory was located at the Chiswick end of King's Street in West London, and there was a car showroom on Oxford Street.

The early cars had an unusual engine layout with the flywheel between the cylinders. The engines were mid mounted in the chassis and the cylinders were horizontal. Drive was to the rear wheels via a 4 speed gearbox and chain. The gearbox is in 2 parts, that are linked by a connecting rod. The left containing 2nd and 4th gear, and the right 1st, 3rd and reverse.

The 2 cylinder engine is rated at 9 HP, and is just over 2.5 litres in size. A total loss oil system is used on the car, lubricating 6 main oilways. James & Browne also launched a 4 cylinder version (16 HP), of a similar design to the horizontal 2 cylinder engine.

In 1906 a vertical engined car was introduced known as the Vertex and available as either a 20hp four or 30/40hp six cylinder.

Only two of their cars are known to have survived. One was built in 1902 and the other in 1904. The 1902 model has belonged to the students of the City & Guilds College Union (Engineering Faculty of Imperial College) since 1934.

The 1904 has the following history.

The first owner of the car was The Reverend Dr. John Darlington, the vicar of St. Mark's Church, Kennington in London, who also owned a house in Curry Rivel, near Taunton in Somerset. The Reverend had originally owned a Peugeot which had badly let him down in 1905, and as a friend of his had a reliable two cylinder James & Browne car he visited the Showroom in Oxford Street and asked to buy a car "like the one my friend owns" .

Mr. Browne remembered this visit as he had to advise Dr. Darlington that the Company had ceased making two cylinder models in 1904, but he could offer Dr. Darlington a new four cylinder 1905 model. Dr. Darlington was adamant that he wanted a two cylinder car, so it was arranged that an unused two cylinder engine, gearbox and transmission from the workshop be fitted into a compatible spare chassis, but with a later model body designed for the four cylinder car.

Mr. Ernest Proctor, who was employed at the Westcroft Works, was given the job of assembling this hybrid car which comprised a very early two cylinder engine - number 30 - of 1901 or 1902 vintage, a 1904 chassis - number 126, and a body destined for four cylinder car number 156.

Technical Data is as follows.

ENGINE No.30. Twin cylinder horizontal, each cylinder 4" dia. x 6"Stroke. Inlet valves suction operated: exhaust valves mechanically operated. Water cooled with no pump or cooling fan.

IGNITION 6 volt battery producing ignition via 2 trembler coils (originally also fitted with magneto with switching between trembler and magneto as required). Conventional spark plugs.

LUBRICATION Drip feed from reservoir on dashboard via sight glasses to 6 oiling points on main bearings and pistons.

GEAR BOXES Two boxes - one for 1st. 3rd. and reverse, the other for 2nd. and 4th. with a sliding shaft between the two. Lubrication by splash feed in each box.

TRANSMISSION Main drive from engine to gear boxes via heavy steel spur gear into a mating rawhide gear attached to the flywheel on the crank shaft.

FINAL DRIVE By two chains via a differential.BRAKES Foot brake operates on transmission. Hand brake is a conventional drum brake on the rear wheels only.

WHEELS/ TYRES Originally wooden wheels with solid tyres, but these were changed in the early years to Sankey type metal wheels and fitted with balloon tyres.

LIGHTING Side and rear lamps - oil (paraffin). Headlamps acetylene - gas produced from carbide/water accumulator.

The car was first registered Y184 and was delivered to Dr. Darlington of Kennington Vicarage on 1Oth March 1906. It was used in London until it was driven to Curry Rivel on 23rd. April 1906 by Mr. Henry Lucas, a James & Browne salesman, who remained with the owner for some time after delivery, to teach him how to drive and maintain the vehicle.

The car was driven by Dr. Darlington, accompanied by his eldest son John, in1913/1914, on a 2000 mile tour of Europe. At the outbreak of World War 1, the car was taken back to Kennington where it remained until about 1925, when John Darlington Jnr. "got it going again", and drove it back to Curry Rivel. By this time Dr. Darlington had purchased an Armstrong, so the James & Browne was stored in a barn. When the James & Browne Company ceased trading, Mr. Henry Lucas (the Salesman and Chauffeur) with his colleague and friend Ernest Proctor were both made redundant. Henry Lucas with a partner John Drake started a motor business in Egham Surrey called the Egham Motor Company, and in 1914 asked Ernest Proctor to join them as Works Manager.

While on holiday in Somerset in 1938, Henry Lucas called at the house in Curry Rivel to see what had happened to the Darlington family. Dr. Darlington was still there and so was the James & Browne car..... in the Barn. Dr. Darlington gave the car to Henry Lucas who brought it back to Egham where he and Ernest Proctor restored it. It was then kept in the showroom of The Egham Motor Company for many years.However, when applying to register the car after its restoration, it was discovered that Dr. Darlington had transferred the original registration number, Y184, to his Armstrong, which was (and we believe, still is) on the road!

Somerset County Council allocated the nearest unused number to the James & Browne ...Y182 - hence the temporary " 2 was fixed over the 4 on the original number plates.

After World War 2 the car was officially dated by The Veteran Car Club as a 1904 model and Henry Lucas and Ernest Proctor entered it in the RAC London to Brighton Run in November 1948 - First London to Brighton run for car. Henry Lucas driving and Ernest Proctor passenger.

Ernest Proctors eldest son, Sidney, joined his father and Henry on many of the early runs, until Ernest died in 1958.By 1963, Henry Lucas had become too infirm to continue to look after the car and, as he had no children, he sold the car to Sidney Proctor . On Sidney’s death the car passed to his son. The car was in the Proctor family until it was auctioned in November 2007.