Retro Dreams - Classic Touring and Automobilia

Fressingfield, Suffolk.

Trade Members of FBHVC

Petroliana, Automobilia, Classic Parts bought & sold

Sales@retrodreams.co.uk

Quality En-suite B&B accommodation for Classic Car owners

07981-35 65 44

01379- 58 61 66

Welcome!

Ever thought how nice it would be to escape from the monotony of having to put up with a sea of silver plastic Eurobubbles driven by scowling, foul-mouthed drivers? Or having to take your classic to a garage that resembles an operating theatre - complete with young “car-doctors” in latex gloves ready to “diagnose” your car? Unfortunately it seems the days of proper motoring are fast disappearing and many of us wish we could turn the clock back 20, 30, or 40 years to happier times of friendly local garages, unspoilt open roads, and proper beer served at fantastic country pubs along the way!

Classic Car tours - in the heart of rural Suffolk - Classic Car country!

All is not lost! - As well as specialising in buying and selling petroliana, automobilia and classic cars we can offer you a 2 day touring base at our English Heritage and Grade 2 listed Jolly Farmers on the Suffolk/Norfolk borders, close to the Heritage Coast - one of the best places suited to classic car owners and enthusiasts in the UK. Relax with a complimentary drink of locally produced wine while your classic is treated to a wash and dry-off ready for the weekend ahead. Wake up the next morning ready to take yourself back in time and enjoy the first day touring the immediate local area sampling the endless unspoilt country lanes and scenery, stopping off on the way to look at some of the old country Garages, tucked away in the villages, unchanged for years which still provide proper old fashioned friendly service. depending on timing and availability, this can be interspersed with some of the best pubs and restaurants in the area serving superb fine food and real ales! The second day combines a tour through the countryside to a fantastic local brewery with its own restaurant and bar on site. Here you can stock up at lunchtime with both beer and food, take a few cases back with you, finishing off your classic fix by travelling past an old 60s filling station on the way back. Alternatively you can just take the time to do your own exploring in your classic around the many places of interest...

Weekend B&B touring: Fri-Sun (2 nights) Must bring a pre-1985 Classic Car with them to qualify

All year round B&B per person for 2 nights

Additional night B&B per person

Main Suite

£60.00

£27.00

Adjoining Room (only available if the main suite is also fully booked)

£45.00

£22.00

Children 3-16

£30.00

£13.00

Additional Classic Car Services available upon request at very reasonable prices

 There are many events held locally especially in the Summer including the Cratfield Tractor Rally, Heviningham Country Fair and Helmingham Hall Classic & Sportscar show.

Heviningham Country fair and classic vehicle show - July 6th

Retro Dreams - featured in "Classic Car Weekly", "Antiques & Collectables" Magazine, and "The Courier" (Triumph Sports Six Club)

We support the environment too - creating a new Eurobox takes as much energy to PRODUCE IT as an older car uses in its ENTIRE lifetime, so it makes sense to recycle, repair and re-use older cars...

What is Petroliana and how did it all begin?

 Petroliana is the term given to vintage and classic petrol and oil company related items produced from the early 1900s to the 1980s, including enamel advertising signs, cans, and petrol pumps and globes. In the early days fuel for motor cars was known as "Motor Spirit" sold through local chemists, hardware stores and the like in 2 Gallon cans. The first public Petrol Pumps appeared at the roadside outside premises in large towns and cities in around 1915.

In the early 1920s Carless, Capel and Leonard started using the name "Petrol" as a name for its "Petroleum Spirit"produced at their Hope Chemical Works in East London. Around 1919 the AA opened the first filling station. With the increase in motor car ownership came expansion and amalgamation and a multitude of bold advertising in the form of enamel signs, larger art deco style pumps replacing hand-cranked ones, and illuminated petrol pump globes serving as welcoming beacons of reassurance for the motorist.

With WW2 came the introduction of "Pool Petrol" - volountry for the war effort with certain advantages for the companies who signed up - and branding became less relevant. In 1953 when Pool Petrol and rationing ceased, advertising re-emerged but with less emphasis on enamel signage, developing the illuminated variety.The electric pumps of the 50s and 60s became more modern and efficient. There were still many diverse brands and petrol was still relatively cheap until the suez crisis. There were many filling stations and garages around, often outside newsagents and general stores, pubs and hotels. In the early 60s petrol was just over 4/- a Gallon, but by the early 70s had reached about 45p a Gallon. The further fuel crises of the period saw many more brands and filling stations cease to trade and petrol reached new highs, breaking the £1 a Gallon mark. At a ridiculous £5.30 a Gallon today that doesn't seem bad, but it's all relative! The last contributors to the decline in our local filling stations were the idiotic eradication almost overnight of Pumps dispensing Gallons by the Euro-muppets and the need to have simultaneous vapour recovery: tanker extracts vapour from the underground tanks at the same time as filling up.

The new tanks were supposedly safer and more "environmentally friendly" but upon speaking to one previous garage owner, when asked what happens to the collected vapour, the tanker driver said "oh we just release it into the atmosphere" - now, how environmentally concious is that? - mind you, you could always do your bit for the environment now by buying one of those mamby-pamby "patio heaters" and pay to burn even more finite energy into the atmosphere, or increase CO2 pollution by making numerous journeys in your car to the local tip with your plastic or glass bottles, because the council can't be bothered to pick them up !

Petroliana Bought & Sold

We are always keen to purchase any suitable items of Petroliana or Automobilia, and/or Classic Car parts. Why not give us a ring or an e-mail beforehand? We may also purchase other vintage enamel signs unrelated to the automotive industry. Here are some examples that we have for sale. Please e-mail us with your requirements or enquiries at Sales@retrodreams.co.uk

Garage signs bought and sold

Petrol globes bought & sold

1930s Shell enamel garage sign £45.00

1925 Carless Capel & Leonard 5 Gallon Petrol can, original condition £75.00

Ultramar Garage Petrol Pump Globe £45.00

Petrol Pumps bought & Sold.

Our popular "on-line auction" has many irresistible items for sale …click current items for sale

Touring in your Classic

Miles of country lanes

Touring in your classic

Local events

View our workshop

We look forward to seeing you!

Victory for common sense

Federation of British Historical Vehicle Clubs

â ã ä The Retro Dreams logo & fuelling desire are copyright and Registered Trade marks. Use or copying however similar is prohibited. Legal action will be taken against infringement.