Author Topic: dare to build  (Read 36798 times)

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90247
Re: dare to build
« Reply #33 on: December 24, 2013, 02:36:04 PM »
Hi Eddie. No I agree with what you are saying its my old memory letting me down. I do remember one of the Dares Grooms [probably David Dare's] coming into the office at times. Cannot remember his name but I do remember his favourite drinking hole was The Crabmill just outside of Henley. I was at Dares in Alum Rock Road from November 1962 until October 1966. It was quite a place there was the Old Man his sons Patrick, David and Robin and his dogsbody Charlie Hathaway and of course Harry's 'Secretary' Dorothy Black she lived on the Stratford not to far from the Robin Hood Pub.
I do not normally wish anyone any harm but when I heard that that the sons ruined the Company I had a rue smile . As they say Revenge is a dish best served cold. Would love to hear of any more stories about The Dares they were quite a lot.
Kindest Regards JT
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

eddie white

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: dare to build
« Reply #34 on: December 24, 2013, 03:42:27 PM »
Hi Spud
           Thanks for replying, a few more things that you might like to hear. David Dares groom was Ken Lakenbiey he was at Davids place Caulters Grange in Claverdon when i came up to work for Harry Dare from Wiltshire. He used to come over to Austy Manor twice a week to get hay and straw to take to Davids place, after a few months later i was asked if i would take over the running of Davids horses as well as Mr Harry Dares. It was hard work and long hours but i loved every minute of the day. Yes it was the Crabtree that he would go to at midday and he would not been seen again that afternoon, i don't know if that was the reason for his swift departure or some other reason. Do you remember the Christmas party for all the staff at Bats Hall in Knowle.
Regards Eddie

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90247
Re: dare to build
« Reply #35 on: December 25, 2013, 10:03:57 AM »
Hi Eddie. Many thanks for your reply.
Never really ever got to Bats Hall but well remember the Christmas Parties at The Head Office. It was Champange Cocktails all the way always in the boardroom.The managers were always the first to be invited down and the rest of us would follow. Lots of sore heads in the morning. Then there was the Xmas Parties at The old Regency Club in Monkspath another free open Bar.
 We had a works outing down to London one year. They just shut up shop and 2 or 3 Coaches from Ward End took us to the Smoke. We played 3 Card Brag all the way down went The Palladium and saw Tommy Cooper, Cilla Black and Frankie Vaughan and then on the The Criterion In Piccadilly another free bar. They certainly knew how to Party.
One last memory about Robin Dare. He got his finger stuck in an old Xerox Printing Machine one afternoon all but chopped it off . He was taken to hospital. All the Dare family plus Harry's secretary went with him . They all went in separate Cars it was like a Procession down Alum Rock Road.
I have a Photograph taken outside of the Ward End Office I will sort it out and try and post it on this site
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90247
Re: dare to build
« Reply #36 on: December 25, 2013, 10:47:49 AM »
http://tinypic.com/r/msdv09/5

http://tinypic.com/r/msdv09/5 Eddie this was taken Mid 60s. It was the works outing taken outside of Dare's Main office in Ward End
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90247
Re: dare to build
« Reply #37 on: December 25, 2013, 11:38:15 AM »
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

eddie white

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: dare to build
« Reply #38 on: December 30, 2013, 08:36:58 PM »
Hi Spud
          Just one thing that you might like to hear about, it was one of the Christmas party's at the Regency at monks path. It was when Harry Dare had lost his driving license for 12 months, myself and my wife Heather who was the Dares cook housekeeper were invited, i think it was only because he wanted me to drive which i did. After the party was over we went out to the car which was his Rolls Royce, he Harry said that it was after midnight so he was now allowed to drive again. Well it was a really hard frost so i cleared the windscreen off and got in the car and what did he do after we had only got as far as Plough and he put the washers on of course the windscreen froze so rather than put the heat on to clear it he said to me to get out and scrape it. This happened a few times so it took us ages to get back to Austy Manor, it was alright for them they didn't have to get up early like we had to.
Well Spud have a happy new year
                                  Eddie

Planner

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: dare to build
« Reply #39 on: April 04, 2014, 04:11:44 PM »
Good Afternoon All,
 
I'm just wondering if any of you could help me with regards to what happened to the Dare's business. Firstly, I have loved reading this thread ... though it is all very much before my time it has been a really interesting Friday afternoon read! Here's the story ... I am a Planning Officer in Poole and we have a residential estate in Merley that was built by H.Dare & Sons (Southern) Ltd. Within this estate there are a number of grass verges which are technically owned by the developer (H.Dare & Sons). A homeowner is looking to extend their boundary to include the grass verge adjacent to their property. This needs  to be bought off the developer. So the question I am after answering is was the Dare company bought by a developer or did it simply run itself into the ground? If the company simply disappeared then by default the Council owns the land but if they were bought out or consumed into another company then I can track that company down as they will technically be the landowners.
 
Hope you help.
 
Thanks
 
Luke

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90247
Re: dare to build
« Reply #40 on: April 04, 2014, 05:11:39 PM »
Hello Planner
Reference H Dare and Son. You will see that from my previous posts that I worked for Dares in the 1960s. I did lose touch with them after I left in 1966 but I am fairly certain that when Harry Dare retired the company was left to the sons to run. I doubt if any of them could run a bath. I believe that the company was just run into the ground. I know that one of the sons either Patrick or David did start up a small building company in Henley in Arden under the name Dare to Build after the parent company's demise this would be in the 1970s. That did not last very long. It is possible that the sons eventually found their way back to South Africa [Johannesburg] there were rumours that Patrick Dare left his wife and took off to South Africa. I just wonder if Company House in London maybe able to help or even the Land Registry. I vaguely remember the Poole Estate they also built a block of luxury flats in Sandbanks.
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

Planner

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: dare to build
« Reply #41 on: April 04, 2014, 05:24:47 PM »
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly spud. My hunch was that the company ran itself into the ground too going on what I have read. I'll look into Company House and Land Registry and see if they can offer any assistance.
 
Thanks again

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90247
Re: dare to build
« Reply #42 on: April 04, 2014, 05:47:13 PM »
There is another member of this Forum, Eddie White he worked for the Dares family as a groom you may be able to contact him through BF. He might have more info.
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

Planner

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: dare to build
« Reply #43 on: April 04, 2014, 05:50:19 PM »
Thanks Spud ... Eddie has also contacted me through my inbox. You have both been a great help in trying to clear things up.
 
Thank you


 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy