Garage puts the brakes on for final time

The Roy Chapman garage has been a familiar name to car owners in Berkhamsted, and then Tring, for more than 50 years. As it closed its doors for the last time this autumn, Roy Chapman looks back on the family-owned company’s history and says a fond farewell to customers.

In October 1974, my wife, Anne and I borrowed £10,000 against our house, then valued at about £20,000, to open our first business in Berkhamsted.

It was a notoriously wet autumn, and our petrol forecourt – without self-service or an overhead canopy – made for challenging conditions. Anne often took a turn serving fuel, demonstrating the hands-on approach that defined our early days.

During our first six years of trading, the price of crude oil increased by almost 200%, and inflation soared to around 20% over the next five years. These economic challenges put immense pressure on our small business, affecting both our costs and our customers’ spending power. It was a baptism of fire, but thanks to our brilliant staff and wonderful customers, we survived.

We remained in Berkhamsted for more than 40 years, expanding with outlets at Ashley Green, Cow Roast, and Harpenden. Over that period, we sold well over 25,000 new and used cars and vans, but we always considered our main business to be servicing and repairs.

Following my retirement, we consolidated our operations at a repair and service centre in Tring, managed by our daughter, Justine. Over the past decade, Justine and her team have delivered excellent service and have surprised me by how well they could do without my involvement!

However, due to the sale of the property lease for redevelopment, combined with the advancing age of our team and ongoing challenges in recruiting skilled technicians, we, with great sadness and regret, decided to close the business at the end of October.

Looking back, we have seen many changes. Yet, I believe more strongly than ever that the values we have always tried to uphold – hiring staff who genuinely liked helping people, giving customers a fair deal, and providing personal, one-to-one service without any high-pressure selling – were what our customers appreciated most.

I want to say a big thank you to the many people who worked with us over the years, and an even bigger thank you to every single customer who favoured us with their business. Your custom and support have been greatly appreciated.