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 Pedigrees
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James Shirley of Meriden, Warwickshire Info sent by Ian Shirley My grandfather, James Shirley, originated as far as I can ascertain from the London area. He moved to a village called Meriden which is on the A45 aprox. in the middle between Birmingham and Coventry. He started a bicycle shop near the center of the village in the late 1880's. It occupied the corner of the Pub called "Bulls Head". With the popularity of the motor car, he sold petrol from the shop (in cans in those days), and then installed the first petrol pump to exist between Birmingham and Coventry. He wished to expand the business to incorporate car maintenance and bough a large farmhouse and small field next to it virtually opposite to the origninal location. He built a garage, large for those days, in the field. I believe this move took place in the early 1920's. His eldest son, Frank, (Thomas Francis), who is still alive and living in Meriden today, took over the family business and ran the business and ran it for a number of years. My father ran the business jointly with Frank and built it up into a garage and coaching business which at its peak, had approximately 8 coaches doing local and continental work and 2 filling stations on the Meriden bypass. After the untimely death of my father at age 40, the buisness gradually declined and was eventually sold. Bill, (William James), worked as foreman in the grage until it was sold and still lives in Meriden. The garage still exists as "Shirley's Garage Irco Ltd.", but there is no family involment. Genealogy of the family... James Shirley
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