Last month there was a gathering of motor enthusiasts in the village of Steeple, who were raising funds to repair an historic village church.
It was a lovely hot summers day, the perfect weather for this type of event, so I popped over to have a look what was going on in this field near Grange Farm.
On show were a range of classic and vintage cars, trucks and also motorbikes. I had been to the event before and each year seems to get bigger and better attended. The event has been running for six years.
While I was walking around, I noticed that Paul J King, who is one of our Business Partners was exhibiting ‘Molly’ a very rare vehicle. She was a 1949 Daimler DE36 Barker Bodied Hearse.
Molly was listed on Ebay and bought by Paul J King. Before they purchased her they investigated some of her history and although she was in poor condition, they still purchased her and returned her to the condition you would see her today. She now is added to their fleet of vehicles and is also available for hire for funerals depending on the distance. What a fantastic looking vehicle she is and attracted lots of attention at the show.
Also Paul J King had a Hand Bier on show. The word ‘Bier’ is an old English word in use for at least 1000 years. It comes from the same root as the word ‘bear’ meaning ‘carry’.
Hand Bier belonging to Paul J King
This hand Bier was built in the late 1800’s by Dotteridge Bros Ltd, East Road, City Rd, London who were the professions’ most respected trade supplier between 1835 -1985. This type of hand bier was used to carry coffins and pull them to the place of service. Prior to the introduction of motor vehicles, either horse-drawn hearses or hand biers were used. Few
families could afford the luxury of a horse drawn hearse, thus hand biers were widely used.
When the time came for the funeral, the coffin was placed on the hand bier and mourners would follow from the house on foot or in horse-drawn mourning carriages.
Many Parishes had their own bier but over the years, these have either been broken up, lost or left in dusty barns to rot.
Some of the classic vehicles on display
It was also lovely to see some of the other vehicles on display, and after you had walked around there was plenty of refreshments available. So a lovely day out and local.