Motoring has been a feature of Surrey since the first London to Brighton Run came through the county in 1896 as a result of the repeal of the Locomotive Act. Surrey has enjoyed a wealth of variety of motor vehicles through the years. Here are images of big cars, little cars, townscapes, countryside and all sorts of period clothing to put it all in context.
Surrey's pre-1929 vehicle registration records have all been destroyed but Bryan Goodman, a veteran and vintage car enthusiast all his adult life, has still been able to identify many of the owners, dates, addresses and specifications of the wide range of vehicles depicted. We can see the development of motoring from being a rich man's pursuit to that of 'motoring for the masses' as cars became smaller and cheaper within the period before the Second World War. Motoring Around Surrey will appeal to anyone interested in the history of the county, the social story of the motor car and the development of the automobile in the first decades of the twentieth century that saw commercial use of the horse become obsolete. Within the pages of Motoring Around Surrey are a selection of over 200 images showing a way of life the county will never see again.