Car Hirer - Seba Dawson

This photo of Seba Dawson and his Austin hearse was taken c1929, outside the building which stood at the corner of Rosemary Lane and was used by the Co-op as a green grocery and until recently a hard ware shop. It was here that Mr Dawson started his car-hire and repair business in 1920 and installed Halstead's first petrol pump. The business moved in 1931 and expanded to include two hearses and four Austin cars, employing at one time three driver-mechanics. "Dawson's Garage" had two homes in the High Street - first on the site of the present Woolworths Store then moving in 1934-35 to new premises in Oak Yard. After struggling through the war years, Mr Dawson sold his business to Messrs. Whitlock in 1946 and retired to Gosfield.