Family firm in the Forest of Dean

26/06/2024 Ashleigh Sinclair Features, Operator Profiles

The company’s first ever new coach is this DAF-powered Yutong GT12. ADRIAN MORTON

Adrian Morton pays a visit to Grindles, a company which has a long history in its home town of Cinderford

A chance conversation with Phil Grindle, a few months back now, led me to think I really ought to go and pay his company a visit. I’ve known Phil for a good while as he’s purchased a number of vehicles from me over the years, but I’ve never ever been to his premises. To learn that he has recently bought a 1999 Neoplan Cityliner from Harris of Bromsgrove, but new to Parrys of Cheslyn Hay, for preservation was enough to tempt me down to the beautiful Forest of Dean.

Cinderford is in the heart of the forest and the Grindle family has been part of life there for nearly 100 years, after Roy Grindle, Phil’s grandfather, bought his first charabanc. Roy and his brother Percy rather strangely set up separate businesses on either side of the same street, Percy running furniture vans and three coaches, Roy just coaches, but the rivalry was friendly. Roy bought his first brand new coach in 1936, a Willowbrook bodied Dennis Lancet.

Roy’s son Harry took a very active role in the business, passing his test on another Lancet Roy had bought in 1949. Continental tours took off in the mid 1950s, mostly utilising Bedfords, Harry pioneering the fitting of Telma retarders. It was a significant additional cost at the time, £300 on the price of an £11,000 coach.

In 1976 by now what was Roy Grindle & Sons was sold to Warners of Tewkesbury. Harry’s office manager wanted to retire and a lot of his driving staff had reached the age where they would be following. It was a decision he later came to regret. The new owners carried on with the Grindles name in Cinderford for a further six years before changing it to Warners. Not long after, they closed the garage and the vehicles were disposed of.