Motor Showrooms, Offices and Garage, Preston New Road, Blackpool

Herbert Victor Burlingham moved to Blackpool in 1928 and, after deciding to set up as a coachbuilder, initially leased premises in Bloomfield Road and Bond Street in Blackpool. Like rivals Thomas Harrington Ltd in Hove and Plaxton in Scarborough, H.V. Burlingham understood that a seaside resort offered advantages for the highly‑seasonal trade in luxury coach bodies in that the workforce were able to take other jobs during the summer when there was no work for them building coaches. General coach building was the initial purpose of Mr Burlingham's business and the first body constructed was a van for a local butcher, but coach bodies were soon the company's main product, initially of the 'all weather' style common at the time which comprised a steel‑reinforced wooden frame panelled in aluminium with windows capable of winding fully down and a full length folding canvas roof. An option common on many builders' coaches at the time was a luggage rack mounted on the rear of the roof, Burlingham however were early in offering coaches fitted with a toilet compartment, which was a long way from being the standard‑fitment to long distance coaches it later became. Burlingham coaches soon began to make a name for themselves and unlike many coachbuilders of the period whose clientele was very localised, Burlingham were soon selling not only to Lancashire coach firms but to Scottish Motor Traction of Edinburgh, Walter Alexander of Stirling and Glenton Tours of London amongst others[2]. Output in these early years kept outgrowing factory space, in 1929 the original sites were relinquished in favour of a workshop in Bank Road, Marton, this was used until 1931, a purpose factory being constructed at Preston New Road on the outskirts of the town in late 1929, after the Marton workshop was sold a further premises was bought in Newhouse Road, this being used both to build components and to repair and recondition bodies. In 1930 however Herbert Victor Burlingham, who had been a sole trader, decided to sell the business to two local businessmen Richard Eaves and Harry Lowcock, they set up H.V. Burlingham Ltd on 25 November 1930 with a registered share capital of £26,000. after which H.V. Burlingham himself set up in business as a caravan manufacturer in Garstang.

Reference           Builder 20 December 1929 page 1084 - tenders