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Dennis Specialist Vehicles was an English manufacturer of
commercial vehicle A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers. The United States defines a "commercial motor vehicle" as any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a public highway in interstate commerce to ...
s based in
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
, building
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
es,
fire engines The Fire Engines were a post-punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland. The Fire Engines were an influence on many bands that followed, including Franz Ferdinand and The Rapture, with Meat Whiplash and The Candyskins both taking their names from Fire ...
, lorries (trucks) and municipal vehicles such as
dustcart A garbage truck is a truck specially designed to collect municipal solid waste and transport it to a solid waste treatment facility, such as a landfill, recycling center or transfer station. In Australia they are commonly called rubbish truck ...
s. All vehicles were made to order to the customer's requirements and more strongly built than mass production equivalents. For most of the 20th century the Dennis company was Guildford's main employer. Following a decade of financial difficulties original shareholders sold out in 1972 and Dennis's ownership has since passed through quite a number of hands. The Woodbridge site was sold and a new small factory built in Slyfield remains in use by lineal business descendant, bus-maker
Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
. No Dennis haulage trucks have been built since 1985. The last Dennis fire engine left the Guildford factory in 2007. The Dennis brand is still used on Alexander Dennis buses,
Dennis Eagle Dennis Eagle Limited is a UK-based refuse truck manufacturer owned by Terberg Environmental. Overview Before operations were merged with Terberg Environmental, Dennis Eagle employed a workforce of over 600 across its two manufacturing sites ...
dustcarts and Dennis mowers.


Dennis Brothers 1895 to 1901

Dennis Brothers Dennis Brothers Limited was an English manufacturer of commercial vehicles based in Guildford. It is best remembered as a manufacturer of buses, fire engines and lorries (trucks) and municipal vehicles such as dustcarts. All vehicles were made ...
was founded in 1895 by brothers John Cawsey Dennis (1871–1939) and (Herbert) Raymond Dennis (1878–1939) who made Speed King bicycles.Wise, David Burgess. "Dennis: Bicycles, Motor Cycles, and Fire Engines", in Ward, Ian, executive editor. ''World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis, 1974), Volume 5, p.527. They built the bicycles, initially from bought-in parts, and sold them from their shop, The Universal Athletic Stores, in High Street,
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
. They made their first motor vehicle in 1898, and in 1899, their first car, ''The Dennis Light Doctor's Car''. Though shown at the National Cycle Show this car was never put into production.


Dennis Brothers Limited 1901 to 1972


Cars

After incorporating Dennis Brothers Limited, in which they were given generous financial support by local cyclists and potential motorists, the brothers began car production around 1901. John Dennis built a 30,000 square foot three storey plus basement building in Onslow Street in the centre of Guildford with a lift between floors later known as the
Rodboro Buildings The Rodboro Buildings in Guildford was one of, if not the first, purpose-built car factories in England and the world. It is a Grade II listed building. History Car factory By 1900 John Dennis and his brother Raymond ran a successful car and ...
. This was the first purpose-built motor vehicle factory in Britain. Their range of cars was quickly extended to 12 hp, 14 hp, 16 and 20 hp chassis fitted with tourer, town car and limousine bodies. From the Dennis Brothers stand at the 1903 Crystal Palace Motor Show the brothers sold almost £30,000 worth of cars and took many more orders.Pat Kennett, ''Dennis (World Trucks No. 6)'', 1979, Patrick Stephens, Cambridge UK. Larger models followed their first light cars. A 35 hp model in 1906 was powered by a
White and Poppe White and Poppe Limited owned a Coventry proprietary engine building and gearbox manufacturing business established in 1899. Many early motor vehicle manufacturers making only a small number of vehicles bought in their major components and Whit ...
engine. This power unit was soon fitted to all their vehicles.


Worm drive back axle

Until well into the early years of the twentieth century the back wheels of most vehicles were driven by a chain from each side of a differential fixed to the chassis frame. Dennis Brothers developed and patented a reliable worm drive into a differential mounted on the back axle. Another feature of that period was ''spring drive'', a torsional shock absorber mounted at the input end of the drive line.


Commercial vehicles

Commercial vehicle activity increased. Their first was a van for
Harrods Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. Dennis made its first bus in 1903 and their first fire engine in 1908 — for Bradford Council Fire Department.John Dennis, Roger Heard
Address to Surrey Industrial Heritage Group
25 February 2014. Accessed 4 August 2018
The last car was made in 1913 after the Dennis brothers saw there was less competition in the commercial vehicle market.Michael Hymans. ''British Coaching: Chassis Manufacturers, Coachbuilders and Operators'' Amberley Publishing, 2016 The rate of growth of the business may be gauged from the regular expansions on their new site at Woodbridge Hill on the outskirts of Guildford — in 1907, 1910, 1912 and 1913. In 1913 Dennis Brothers moved their main operations to a new much larger building of almost four acres on the twelve-acre site at Woodbridge leaving their purpose-built Onslow Street premises solely for repairs. In March 1913 the investing public learnt that Dennis Brothers was a manufacturer of motor-vans, motor-lorries, motor-fire-engines, motor-cars etc. The brothers' offer of shares to the public was substantially over-subscribed and Dennis Brothers Limited became a publicly listed company. Rising international tensions precipitated a major contract for supply of 1,000 3-ton "subsidy" lorries to private buyers on terms set by the
War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
. Taking the subsidy obliged the buyer to release the vehicle to the War Office in time of war. Materials had been ordered but no subvention lorries completed when the situation changed.


World War I

After August 1914's outbreak of hostilities production was reduced to the subvention type 3-ton military lorries, now supplied directly to the War Office, and the Dennis turbine fire engine.Pumper with a 50 gallon tank fitted with a new high efficiency Gwynne centrifugal pump. The Dennis Turbine Fire Engine.''Commercial Motor'' 23 July 1908 The
Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis of ...
took complete control of the whole business in 1915. New buildings were added to contain the manufacture of munitions.


Between wars


1920s

Following 1918's
armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
there was a glut of war surplus vehicles and a consequent collapse in demand for new trucks. To try to compensate the Dennis product range was expanded into municipal vehicles — dustcarts (refuse collection), street cleaning vehicles, sewage tankers and pumps etc. Municipal vehicles do not suffer from the fluctuations of demand experienced by the overall economy. Buyers tend to replace them at fixed periods so there is an element of longer term planning. While it is a relatively small market it is stable. Motor mowers were added in 1922.
White and Poppe White and Poppe Limited owned a Coventry proprietary engine building and gearbox manufacturing business established in 1899. Many early motor vehicle manufacturers making only a small number of vehicles bought in their major components and Whit ...
in
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
had always supplied engines for Dennis Brothers motor vehicles. A takeover had been under consideration before the war but it was not until April 1919 that it was made public Dennis Brothers and White and Poppe had agreed to an exchange of shares in each other's business. The swap gave Dennis Brothers the controlling interest in White and Poppe. Alfred White and Peter Poppe joined the Dennis Brothers board but it was not until March 1933 in the midst of the 1930s depression that engine production was transferred from Coventry to Guildford. One chassis was used for both lorries and buses. In the 1920s Dennis began to design and build separate chassis for their public service vehicles (buses) with a lower ride height.
Pneumatic tyre Pneumatics (from Greek ‘wind, breath’) is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air. Pneumatic systems used in industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located and ele ...
s were introduced.
Forward control Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the truck sitting a ...
buses were added to their catalogue in the same decade. Export markets were developed between the wars, particularly vehicles for Hong Kong.


The 1930s

The decade began with
the Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. Diesel engines were in demand for larger commercial vehicles. New Dennis buses were a double-deck Lance and single-deck Lancet. The Dennis Ace, a smaller twenty-seater bus was brought into production in 1933 using the chassis of Dennis's small lorry. The Arrow Minor followed in 1935 and a new Falcon chassis in 1938. John and Raymond Dennis built 223 houses for their workers, 102 of them on a 20 acres estate in Woodbridge Hill for their Coventry motor workers who brought production of White & Poppe engines to Guildford in 1933. The area took on the name Dennisville. Both brothers died in 1939 and they are commemorated in the names of Dennisville's St John's Road and Raymond Crescent.


Second World War

During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the
Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...
restricted Dennis to lorries and allocated bus production to Daimler and Guy. Over that period Dennis built some 3,000 6/8 ton capacity ''Max'' and 1,500 ''Pax'' 3-ton lorries, assembled 700
Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, a ...
s, 17,000 engines for landing craft, 7,000 fire pumps, 750,000 bombs and 3,000 infantry carriers. Meanwhile, 'municipal vehicles' were built for military bases. The plant operated around the clock and the number of workers doubled to 4,000.


1948 Nationalisation of road haulage

British Road Services The National Freight Corporation was a major British transport business between 1948 and 2000. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and at one time, as NFC plc, was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The company was established ...
, Britain's state-owned road haulage operator, didn't buy any trucks from Dennis. New products were developed but were not attractive to BRS. The suppliers to BRS were prospering, Leyland, AEC and Foden's technical advances and greater truck experience let them build even better buses to compete with Dennis buses. Only Dennis's light Pax trucks sold well and they went to businesses still permitted to run their own short-distance transport. Yet the company's buses and fire engines remained in demand. The 1940s and 1950s still managed to be Dennis's best years.


The 1950s

The 1950s saw the introduction of diesel engines and automatic transmissions and bus engines were moved below floors to increase carrying capacity. After the war bus production began again. 1950 introductions were a passenger chassis named Dominant with a semi-automatic transmission and a horizontally mounted diesel engine and Paxit all-enclosed mechanical rear-loading refuse-collection vehicles.
Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
diesel engines replaced Dennis petrol engines in the fire engines during 1951. New show vehicles in 1952 included a 5½ litre Centaur chassis with platform body, a Pax chassis with tipping gear and a lightweight body and the Stork chassis. The AV1, a new diesel ambulance chassis, returned ambulances to the Dennis product line-up during 1954. The next year an updated heavy fire engine chassis received Rolls-Royce fully automatic gearboxes. They were not yet in production but Dennis revealed their plans for new Loline model doubledeck buses at the end of 1956. Built with Dennis components they used a patented
Bristol Lodekka The Bristol Lodekka was a half-cab low-height step-free double-decker bus built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles in England. It was the first production bus design to have no step up from the passenger entrance throughout the lower deck; alth ...
chassis. The Dennis version was for the independent section of the market Bristol was unable to supply. During 1957 sales in both home and export markets fell. Demand for commercial vehicles did not recover after the
Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
. The new Loline buses were in service and a variant new chassis was now available with front entry providing driver control of the door.


The 1960s

In the 1960s engines moved to the back of the buses. In May 1962, Dennis bought the fire appliance division of
Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of onl ...
Group's Alfred Miles. In April 1964 tractor manufacturer Mercury Truck & Tractor Company, Mercury Airfield Equipment that manufactured airport tugs and later baggage trailers and ground units, and Mercury Snow Control were purchased. Potential passenger customers preferred their new vehicles front-entrance and rear-engined and Dennis had no bus in production to meet those requirements. Dennis chose to end bus manufacture in 1965 and concentrate on lorries which also faced declining demand. In late 1965 a significant block of shareholders dissatisfied with the performance of their business asked that Dennis Brothers cease production and liquidate its assets. The disputes ended when the rebels were unable to find a buyer for the Dennis business at an acceptable price. Major changes were made to management and to the directorate. The following year turnover grew again and profits seemed to have made improvement. New capital was found for an expansion and modernisation programme and twelve months later the new chairman reported activities had been split into six clear-cut divisions and claimed they were "poised for recovery". The shareholders were faced with continuing losses. Responding to their invitation John King of Pollard Ball took up the challenge and accepted the position of chairman of the board.
Julian Amery Harold Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh, (27 March 1919 – 3 September 1996) was a British Conservative Party politician, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 39 of the 42 years between 1950 and 1992. He was appointed to the Pr ...
, a former Minister of Aviation, joined the board as did a new CEO and a new finance director. The workforce of 1,300 was cut by 150, mostly white-collar workers. A banker was added to the directorate. At King's suggestion Dennis Motor Holdings,Transbus International Limited company no 970239
Companies House
was formed on 15 January 1970 as a holding company with all part-time directors.It is possible that directors of Dennis Brothers (with major shareholdings) holding key full-time management positions were unable to agree on the best plan for Dennis's future In June the chairman announced much greater losses in the subsequent half year but he remained optimistic. They listed their products as: commercial vehicles, fire engines, refuse collection vehicles and aircraft tractors. In 1971/72, Dennis sold 101 houses in Slyfield's Woking Road and in Midleton Road, Dennisville.


Hestair Group

;The Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering


Dennis Motors 1972 to 1977

In March 1972 Hestair made a successful takeover bid for Dennis Motor Holdings. It took effect in May 1972. With Dennis came 35 acres of sprawling red brick factory on the Guildford by-pass. Hestair announced it intended to sell surplus land. Hestair was a new industrial investment vehicle managed by David Hargreaves. It had purchased
street sweeper A street sweeper or street cleaner may refer to a person's occupation or to a machine that cleans streets. Street sweepers have been employed in cities as "sanitation workers" since sanitation and waste removal became a priority. A stre ...
bodybuilder Yorkshire Vehicles and
dustcart A garbage truck is a truck specially designed to collect municipal solid waste and transport it to a solid waste treatment facility, such as a landfill, recycling center or transfer station. In Australia they are commonly called rubbish truck ...
bodybuilder Eagle Engineering in 1971.Dennis, Eagle Yorkshire become Envec
''Commercial Motor'' 27 April 1973
Hestair's other interests were agricultural engineering, toys and employment bureaux. Dennis Motor Holdings was renamed Dennis Motors Limited and with Eagle and Yorkshire Vehicles, managed as the Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering.End of the road for Dennis Trucks
''Commercial Motor'' 23 June 1972
In June 1972 the manufacture of trucks for haulage ceased. In September Hestair sold Dennis' Mercury towing tractors and motor mowers to Marshalls (Halifax) and new plant was bought for the Guildford factory. Envec, an acronym for Environmental Vehicles, was chosen as the new brand name for marketing the municipal vehicles built by Dennis Motors, Eagle Engineering and Yorkshire Vehicles. Non-specialist truck production for general haulage resumed in 1974 after a break of two years. New rear-engined single-decker and double-decker buses were announced in August 1977 after a bus-building break of eleven years. At the time of the announcement the workforce was 875 and Dennis Motors remained Guildford's largest employer. The first new bus was the Dominator with a double-deck body followed by more new buses named Jubilant, Dorchester, Lancet and
Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...
. The Falcon chassis took either single or double-deck bodies. All these names belonged to previous successful Dennis models. A new range of fire appliances, the R series, went into production in 1976. A single specialist fire engine chassis on which modular body units could be mounted it was complementary to the existing range. On 31 December 1977 Dennis Motors Limited was renamed Hestair Dennis Limited.


Hestair Dennis 1977 to 1985

The former Dennis Motors business was renamed Hestair Dennis by August 1977. A
Queen's Award for Export The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation, sustainable development or promoting opportunity (through social mobility). They are the highest ...
was received in 1978. In February 1980 John Smith, the managing director of Hestair Dennis, was jailed for life in
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
for paying "huge amounts for commercial deals and secret information". Four of the Iraqis with him were hanged. He was not released until February 1988. ''Phoenix'' was added as a brand name to all Dennis Eagle refuse collectors during 1978. The Delta 1600 series trucks were launched, middleweight 16 tonne vehicles for tipper and haulage applications. In February 1983, Hestair Dennis purchased . Between the two Hestair could produce complete vehicles with the new Duple-developed integrated body-chassis units. Duple owned
Duple Metsec Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas. It was originated from the bus body manufacturing business of Metal Sections, know ...
in
Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham. Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...
, suppliers of bus body kits for assembly overseas. Hestair
Duple 425 The Duple 425 was a Coach (bus), coach design built by Hestair Duple Coachbuilders, Duple in the late 1980s, and briefly by Plaxton in the early 1990s. It was a fully integral coach, unlike most contemporary British designs which had a separate ...
was displayed in October 1984 and in production a year later powered by
Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...
engines. On 10 December 1985 Hestair Dennis Limited was renamed Dennis Specialist Vehicles Limited and again on 3 February 1986 to Hestair Specialist Vehicles Limited.


Special-vehicle division


Production moves to Warwick, Worcester, Blackpool

In late 1985 a new 125,000 square foot Dennis Eagle plant on the Heathcote Industrial Estate in
Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
opened, taking over the building of Dennis municipal vehicle chassis and the matching Eagle bodies. Construction of chassis for buses and coaches as well as
fire appliance A firefighting apparatus describes any vehicle that has been customized for use during firefighting operations. These vehicles are highly customized depending on their needs and the duty they will be performing. These duties can include firefighti ...
s remained at Guildford but that factory lost 600 jobs. Building of fire appliance bodies was moved to Carmichael Fire in
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
and all cabs to Duple at
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
. The re-organisation cost around £4 million covered by the sale of part of the original Dennis site. The Guildford workforce dropped from 700 to 400. Still one of Europe's largest builders of fire appliance chassis Dennis Specialist Vehicles was running at a loss. In the 1980s bus engines stayed beneath the floor but were moved as far back as possible to release luggage space. At the October 1986 Commercial Motor Show Dennis introduced its
Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...
design using a 6-cylinder Cummins engine mounted forward of the axle. Previous models had used Gardner engines. The fire engineering division was closed and requirements contracted out to Carmichael in Worcester. At this time Dennis claimed 65 per cent of the fire engine market. John Dennis of the founders' family, previously coach and truck sales manager, left and set up John Dennis Coachbuilders to build complete fire engine bodies.The Phoenix of Guildford ''Commercial Motor'' 24 September 1987 The remaining business was the manufacture of chassis for fire appliances and public service vehicles. Almost all the 35-acre Woodbridge Hill site was sold. At the October 1988 Motor Show Dennis and Duple displayed their new
Dennis Dart The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined single-decker midibus chassis that was introduced by Dennis Specialist Vehicles of Guildford, England in 1989, replacing the Dennis Domino. Initially built as a high-floor design, In 1996 the low-floor second ...
midibus.


Management buy-out

At the end of 1988 the Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering comprised:Thriving on Rubbish ''Commercial Motor'', 8 December 1988 page 60 *Warwick's Dennis Eagle which held around 35 per cent of the refuse collector market, much of which was now carried out by private contractors to the local authorities and there was no longer a steady regular demand for replacement vehicles. Dennis Eagle represented about one-third of the Vehicle Division *Guildford's Dennis Special Vehicles building PSV and fire appliance chassis. *Blackpool's Hestair Duple, the coach body builder with ::Duple Services and ::
Duple Metsec Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas. It was originated from the bus body manufacturing business of Metal Sections, know ...
selling bus body kits for export. :: Bifort Engineering, a specialist in high technology plastic mouldings.


Trinity Holdings


Trinity Holdings 1989 renamed Dennis Group in 1997

Trinity Holdings, the management of the Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering with the backing of banking institutions, bought Dennis from Hestair. Geoff Hollyhead, former head of the Vehicle Division, led the
management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management-, and/or leveraged buyout became noted phenomena of 1 ...
and was appointed chairman and CEO. The stated intention was to relist the Dennis group back on the
London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...
. Hestair Specialist Vehicles Limited was renamed Specialist Vehicles Limited on 7 March 1989. Duple Coachbuilders was closed down in July 1989 with 350 jobs lost. The parts and service business went to
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manufac ...
, production of the 300 series and 425 Integral followed parts and service to Plaxton later. Plaxton took the Duple sites in London, Blackpool and Glasgow to enlarge their spares and repairs network. Dennis and Duple had developed the
Dart Dart or DART may refer to: * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts Arts, entertainment and media * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Dar ...
, a midibus bought by London Transport as a one-man operated bus to replace their
AEC Routemaster The AEC Routemaster is a Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front-engined double-decker bus that was designed by London Transport Executive, London Transport and built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) and Park Royal Vehicles. The ...
s. At the end of 1989 Dart bodywork production moved from the closed Duple to
Carlyle Works Carlyle Works was an English builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Edgbaston. History In 1920, the Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Company established a bus repair facility on land adjoining Rotton Park Reservoir. It initially perfo ...
in Birmingham. The Dart was followed by the
Lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...
which used independent front suspension to allow a low floor halfway down the vehicle. The next year Guildford factory moved to Slyfield Industrial Estate and into new premises allowing room to increase production. The work force was more than 300. Shelvoke's design rights were bought from the receiver in September 1991 and their parts and service depots at
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
and Birmingham were taken over. Dennis now had 27 service outlets. Carmichael Fire, a rival manufacturer of a range extending from
Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...
based fire tenders up to 8 x 8 airfield crash tenders, was rescued from its parent's receiver in 1992. As intended Trinity Holdings was successfully floated in 1992. At that time it was described as a group of famous motor engineering names including Dennis fire engines, buses and dustcarts, Duple bus kits and Reliance Mercury airport tenders. Trinity claimed it was Europe's largest specialist vehicle producer making specialised products for niche markets. Dennis held 40 per cent of the British fire engine market, the Dart mid-sized bus was Britain's biggest seller. In 1993, Trinity entered a joint venture with UMW in Malaysia to build buses in Malaysia from Guildford built chassis kits and Duple Metsec body kits. Trinity withdrew from the venture in 1998. In December 1995, Trinity purchased the aircraft and cargo handling division of ML Holdings:
Douglas Equipment Douglas Equipment Limited is an English manufacturer of vehicles that support the aircraft industry such as tugs, tractors etc. The firm is headquartered in the Arle area of Cheltenham, England with manufacturing operations around the world. E ...
and
Schopf SCHOPF Maschinenbau GmbH is a German company that produces specialist vehicles for the mining and aviation industries. The company was founded in 1948 by Jörg Schopf, a mechanical engineer. It started out with manufacturing equipment for the ...
. In October 1997 Trinity rebranded itself as the Dennis Group. It also revealed an order from
Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses, express coaches and a tram service in the United Kingdom. History Stagecoach was born out of deregulation of the British express coach market in the early ...
for 100 Dennis Dart double-decker buses. In the first half of 1997, it produced made more than 1,000 buses and fire engines, restructured the assembly plant at Warwick and expanded its Guildford plant increasing capacity 25 per cent.


Low-floor bus chassis

Henlys Group Henlys Group PLC was a major London motor distributor and dealer founded in 1917 in London's Great Portland Street. In the 1980s it was taken over by a company associated with Michael Ashcroft then some years later sold to Yorkshire bus manufa ...
, the new name for
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manufac ...
, made buses which it often mounted on Dennis chassis. For some years they had together made double-deckers for Hong Kong and British Columbia and mini-buses for English customers. The Dennis and Henlys combined production held 40 per cent of the British market. Combined along with third partner
Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
they held the biggest share of the US market. It seemed logical to put the Henlys and Dennis businesses together and Henlys made an offer to Dennis Group shareholders. Mayflower, an engineering group that owned bus bodybuilder Walter Alexander, felt threatened by the almost-completed Henlys-Dennis tie up and launched a bid for Dennis. Volvo responded by announcing its backing for the Henlys Dennis merger. Mayflower revealed a proposed alliance with
Daimler-Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group Aktiengesellschaft, AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It ...
including collaboration on development of chassis, technical support, power unit supply and worldwide distribution. Mayflower was angling for the Dennis-Henlys (and Volvo) strong position in the US bus market. It was believed Dennis's low-floor bus chassis design would fit the expected US demand for wheelchair-friendly buses and less polluting bus engines. That market was estimated to be around 15,000 vehicles each year. Mayflower's other core division, Mayflower Vehicle Systems, supplied panels to European and US manufacturers. Mayflower won the contested takeover bid for Dennis Group and within a few months disposed of two Dennis subsidiaries it did not want. Subsequent events showed Mayflower paid too much for Dennis.


Divestments

* Carmichael International, Worcester manufacturer of appliances from Land Rover-based vehicles to all-wheel drive Cobra 2 airfield crash tenders, was sold in February 1999.Carmichael is sold
''Commercial Motor'' 4 February 1999 page 18
*
Dennis Eagle Dennis Eagle Limited is a UK-based refuse truck manufacturer owned by Terberg Environmental. Overview Before operations were merged with Terberg Environmental, Dennis Eagle employed a workforce of over 600 across its two manufacturing sites ...
,
Douglas Equipment Douglas Equipment Limited is an English manufacturer of vehicles that support the aircraft industry such as tugs, tractors etc. The firm is headquartered in the Arle area of Cheltenham, England with manufacturing operations around the world. E ...
and
Schopf SCHOPF Maschinenbau GmbH is a German company that produces specialist vehicles for the mining and aviation industries. The company was founded in 1948 by Jörg Schopf, a mechanical engineer. It started out with manufacturing equipment for the ...
were sold in July 1999 to NatWest Equity Partners.


Transbus International

In 2000 Mayflower (Dennis and Alexander brands) and
Henlys Group Henlys Group PLC was a major London motor distributor and dealer founded in 1917 in London's Great Portland Street. In the 1980s it was taken over by a company associated with Michael Ashcroft then some years later sold to Yorkshire bus manufa ...
(
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manufac ...
), aiming to save overheads, merged their British bus-making operations into a joint venture owned 70 per cent by Mayflower and 30 per cent by Henlys. The factories concerned employed 3,300 staff in seven places in Scotland and Yorkshire. Specialist Vehicles Limited was renamed Transbus International Limited on 31 December 2002. In March 2004 Mayflower was placed in administration amid accusations of four years of falsifying crucial company records as to customers' payments to
HSBC HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...
, counting the same income twice. Transbus was also placed in administration. Eventually Transbus Plaxton was sold to its managers, Brian Davidson and Mike Keane with the support of a private equity group. Transbus Alexander and Transbus Dennis were bought by a consortium which included David Murray,
Brian Souter Sir Brian Souter (born 5 May 1954) is a Scottish businessman. With his sister, Ann Gloag, he founded the Stagecoach Group of bus and rail operators. He also founded the bus and coach operator Megabus, the train operating company South West Tra ...
and
Ann Gloag Dame Ann Heron Gloag DBE (née Souter; born 10 December 1942) is a Scottish billionaire businesswoman, activist, and charity campaigner. She is co-founder of the international transport company Stagecoach Group. According to The ''Sunday Times ...
, and was branded
Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
. The company incorporated as Dennis Motor Holdings in 1970 to save boardroom disputes having subsequently worn new names of: :Dennis Motors, Hestair Dennis, Dennis Specialist Vehicles, Hestair Specialist Vehicles and just Specialist Vehicles but finally Transbus International was dissolved on 19 June 2018, after several times being restored from dissolution since 2008.


Products


Fire engines

Dennis fire engines were noted, from their 1908 outset, for their use of a Gwynnes made
centrifugal pump Centrifugal pumps are used to transport fluids by the conversion of rotational kinetic energy to the hydrodynamic energy of the fluid flow. The rotational energy typically comes from an engine or electric motor. They are a sub-class of dynamic ...
or 'turbine' as a
water pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...
, rather than the
piston pump A piston pump is a type of positive displacement pump where the high-pressure seal reciprocates with the piston. Piston pumps can be used to move liquids or compress gases. They can operate over a wide range of pressures. High pressure operation ...
s used by other makers. This was more complex to build than the long-established piston pumps, but had advantages in operation. Where water was supplied under pressure from a hydrant, rather than by suction from a pond, this additional pressure was boosted through the centrifugal pump, whereas a piston pump would have throttled it. Piston pumps also gave a pulsating outlet pressure which required an air-filled receiver to even this out. The
Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services The Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services Department is a department of the Government of Karnataka that is the foremost disaster management body in Karnataka, India. Background All buildings in the state are required to obtain a complian ...
owns a
pumper A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...
that was built by Dennis Brothers and delivered to the erstwhile
Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...
in 1925 from England. * N-Type 1905-1920s * G-Type * Big Four * Big Six * Light Four * Ace * F series - 1946-1970s *
Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...
* D series * DS series - 1980s-1990s * R series - 1976-? * RS/SS series - 1978-1990s * DF series * DFS series * TF series * TSD series *
Sabre A sabre ( French: sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...
- 1995-2007 *
Rapier A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Impor ...
- 1991-? *
Dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...
- ?-2007


Military vehicles of World War I

Over 7,000 Dennis 3-Ton lorries were built for the
War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...
during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. These 3-Ton lorries could reach 55 miles per hour and climb gradients as steep as 1 in 6.


Buses

;1926–1967 * E/EV (front-engined single decker) * F/FS (bonneted single decker) * G/GL (bonneted small capacity bus) * H/HS/HV (front-engined double decker) * Dart (bonneted small capacity bus) * Arrow (front-engined single decker) * Lancet/Lancet 2/Lancet 3/Lancet 4 (front-engined single decker) * Lance/Lance 2/Lance 3 (front-engined double decker) * Ace (front-engined small capacity bus) * Mace (front-engined small capacity bus) * Falcon (front-engined small capacity bus) * Pike * Dominant (underfloor-engined single decker) * Lancet UF (underfloor-engined single decker) * Pelican (underfloor-engined light-weight single decker) * Loline ;1977–2000 * Dominator * Jubilant * Dart - front-engined full-size single-decker bus built in late 1970s *
Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...
* Lancet * Dragon/Condor * Dorchester *
Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
* Underframe of
Duple 425 The Duple 425 was a Coach (bus), coach design built by Hestair Duple Coachbuilders, Duple in the late 1980s, and briefly by Plaxton in the early 1990s. It was a fully integral coach, unlike most contemporary British designs which had a separate ...
coach *
Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...
* Dart/Dart SLF * Lance/Arrow/Lance SLF * Trident 2 *
Trident 3 A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...
*
R-Series ''R series'' * Adventure R series – paramotors for gliders * BL R-series engine – gasoline car engines * Dennis R series – coach chassis * Ford R series – busses * International Harvester R series – trucks * Mack R series – heavy-dut ...


Trucks

;Between wars * Ace * Max * Max Major ;Post war * Pax * Horia * Centaur * Jubilant * Stork * Hefty * Condor * Heron * Paravan * Maxim * Delta


Refuse trucks

Dennis were noted as specialist makers of refuse collection trucks, with compactors, bin lifters, tipper-body emptying and other specialised features for this market. The same market is now served by
Dennis Eagle Dennis Eagle Limited is a UK-based refuse truck manufacturer owned by Terberg Environmental. Overview Before operations were merged with Terberg Environmental, Dennis Eagle employed a workforce of over 600 across its two manufacturing sites ...
.


Military vehicles of World War II

*
Loyd Carrier The Loyd Carrier was one of a number of small tracked vehicles used by the British and Commonwealth forces in the Second World War to transport equipment and men about the battlefield. Alongside the Bren, Scout and Machine Gun Carriers, they ...
*
Churchill Tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, a ...
* Light Artillery Tractor 6 x 6 'Octolat' (a misnomer, standing for 'eight wheel light artillery tractor, retained when the design was abbreviated by one axle to reduce length and weight, and improve handling). Conceived to meet a requirement for a simple easily produced and maintained alternative to the effective but costly and complicated Quad 4 x 4 tractor, the Dennis design steered on the first pair of wheels but dispensed with springs, substituting six oversized tyres for conventional suspension. A centre-control driving position in a shallow lightly armoured body provided with ammunition lockers and sheltered under an overall canvas tilt resulted in a vehicle not instantly recognisable as truck. (Prototypes used a box body in place of the simple platform and conventional cab). Early models were powered by twin coupled Bedford engines but the final design was powered by a powerful Leyland 9.8 litre engine. Length was 20 feet (6 metres), height 7 ft 6 inches (2.3 metres) high. Despite promising test results no production order was forthcoming.


Joint ventures

*UMW-Dennis Specialist Vehicles - joint venture with UMW, based in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
(1995–2002), renamed UMW Vehicle Components after the end of joint venture * Thomas Dennis - joint venture with
Thomas Built Buses Thomas Built Buses, Inc. (commonly known as Thomas) is an American bus manufacturer. Best known for its production of yellow school buses, Thomas produces other bus designs for a variety of usages. Currently, its production is concentrated on sc ...
, based in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(1999–2003), renamed
DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North Carolina Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) was Daimler's North America bus division, incorporating the Orion, Setra, and Dodge Sprinter brands. Due to the spinoff of Daimler's truck division on December 1, 2021, it merged into Daimler Truck North Ameri ...
after the end of joint ventureThomas Dennis Co adopts new name
''
Metro Magazine ''Metro Magazine'' is a trade magazine for bus and rail transit and motorcoach operators, published in the United States since 1904, taking its current name in 1975.Di Giacomo, Frank. "100 years of deadlines". ''Metro Magazine'', July 2004, p. 4. ...
'' 14 May 2003


Notes


References


External links


Dennis Group website

John Dennis Coachbuilders - Fire Engine Manufacturers - Specialist Fire Vehicle Bodybuilder

Dennis Mowers

Dennis Society

Dennis Specialist Vehicles records at Surrey History Centre
{{Authority control Alexander Dennis Companies based in Guildford Defunct companies based in Surrey Defunct bus manufacturers of the United Kingdom Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Defunct truck manufacturers of the United Kingdom Emergency services equipment makers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1895 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2004 1895 establishments in England 2004 disestablishments in England