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| Archive Reference / Library Class No. | D2696 |
| Title | Sanderson & Holmes of Derby, coach builders/motor car body builders, and predecessors |
| Date | 1813-2005 |
| Description | Business records for Holmes & Co. (1803-1923), F. Sanderson & Sons (1884-1923), and Sanderson & Holmes (1923-c1970); plus family papers of both Holmes and Sanderson |
| Extent | 9 boxes (29 volumes) |
| Level | Fonds |
| Repository | Derbyshire Record Office |
| Full Catalogue List | Click here to view a full list for this collection |
| Archive Creator | Sanderson & Holmes of Derby (1923-c1970), coach builders/motor car body builders |
| Holmes & Co. of Derby (1803-1923), Burton-on-Trent, Lichfield, London and Sheffield, coach builders & harness makers |
| Administrative History | The firm of Sanderson and Holmes Ltd, motorcoach builders, motor engineers and garage proprietors was inaugurated in 1923 through a merger of two long-established businesses, Holmes Brothers and Sanderson and Sons. Charles Holmes (1753-1812) established a coach building business in Lichfield and early in the nineteenth century his son, Charles Holmes (1785-1835) established a similar venture in London Street (later London Road), Derby. The business was continued by later generations: Herbert Mountford Holmes (1815-1893) and his sons Charles Holmes (1844-1927), Herbert Mountford Holmes (1847-1929) and George Edward Holmes (1849-1915).
In 1884, upon the retirement of Charles Andrews (1833-1911), Frederick George Sanderson (1837-) took over a coach building business operated in Midland Road, Derby. He had previously been a coachbuilder in London and Dublin. His son William Edwin Sanderson (1862-1942) became a partner in the business. This partnership was dissolved in 1905 leaving William Edwin Sanderson responsible for the business. Following the 1923 merger the Midland Road premises were vacated and the business was consolidated at the London Road site. William Edwin Sanderson became senior director of the new company. Two of his sons were also directors: William George Sanderson (1886-1977) and Henry Tempest Sanderson (1888-1970). |
| Administrative History Sources | Wills of Charles Holmes (1809/1813) and Charles Holmes (1836) at Staffordshire Archives, available via www.findmypast.co.uk
Newspaper articles available via the British Newspaper Archive, www.britishnewspaperarchive.com (British Library)
1841-1911 census returns |
| Custodial History | These records were deposited with Derbyshire Record Office in September 1983 by the firm who acquired the Sanderson & Holmes premises in Derby. Further records were purchased by Derbyshire Record Office following an auction in February 2024.
Items deposited in 1983 are distinguished in the catalogue through the inclusion of a Previous Number.
According to Mr H. T. Sanderson, “Many of the priceless records, dating back hundreds of years had, unfortunately, been lost or destroyed”, unidentified news cutting, entitled “The Running of a large garage: Task explained to Belper Round Tablers”. |
| Appraisal | Where there were exact duplicates, the copy in the best condition was retained. |
| Arrangement | D2696/H Holmes & Co. of Derby (1803-1923), Burton-on-Trent, Lichfield, London and Sheffield, coach builders & harness makers
D2696/HF Holmes family of Derby
D2696/S Sanderson & Sons of Derby (1884-1923)
D2696/SF Sanderson family of Derby
D2696/SH Sanderson & Holmes of Derby (1923-c1970), coach builders/motor car body builders |
| Organisation Sub-Type | Motor services |
| Vehicle manufacturers/products |
| Finding Aids | This collection is currently being re-catalogued, June 2024. |
| Related Material | See
- D769/B/8A/80/3 Receipted account: items 1868-1873: Herbert & Arthur Holmes, carriage makers: the late R Curzon - 1874
- D4983/UL Arbitration papers in case between Herbert Holmes and Company and Derby Urban Sanitary Authority, relating to erection of carriage work showrooms in London Road, 1889
- D2375/E/C/2/5/1 Letter of apology from Hubert Holmes, Carriage and Harness Manufactury, Derby to Mr Palmer at Calke Abbey, relating to a carriage of Sir John Harpur Crewe, 1846
- D2375/F/J/1/3/28/1 Leather binder containing illustrations of a light carriage of Holmes and Co., early 19th cent
- D118/ZZ/1 Charles Holmes', coach and harness maker's bill, 1817
- D5192/18/8 Letter from Noble and Rolls of Cornwall Road, Stamford Street, London, to Messrs Mousley and Barber, re debt of Mr Charles Holmes of Derby, coach maker, 7 Jun 1833
- D5336/2/7/12 Papers relating to Thomas Pares III's entrance into Derby as Sheriff in March 1845; including estimate from Holmes of Derby for provision of coach landau, 1845 |
| Term | Business |
| Coach builders |
| Coach building |
| Carriage and wagon making |
| Motor vehicle industry |
| Cars |
| Buses |
| Motor vehicles |
| Acknowledgements | With thanks to Roger Jennens, cataloguing volunteer for supplying key details for the Administrative history. Derbyshire Record Office is very grateful to The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of the National Libraries for matching financial grants to enable the record office to purchase the material auctioned in 2024, as well as to The Carriage Foundation for facilitating the purchase of the material |
| Archivist Note | Re-catalogued and updated to ISAD(G) June 2024, BS. |