2024 Crossley Register UK National Rally - Cider and Hops

I was unable to attend the 2024 rally so the following account is taken from the Crossley Register Newsletter and was written by Malcolm Hatfield.

A goodly number of members were looking forward to our annual rally around the Malvem Hills organised by Liz, Richard and Peter Donovan and our expectations were totally exceeded. A total of 22 members and partners made the rally with some 17 cars hoping to attend hut combinations of age and ailments of both owners and their cars reduced the number to 14.

But there were some really heroic long journeys made to the rally, perhaps especially Michael Anderton, driving the ex-Mike Sumner 14 hp from Stirling in Scotland, much of the journey being on the motorway... I cannot think when the last, (if ever) member has driven to the rally from Scotland. But then of course we had Tom and Fiona Harvey driving from Cornwall, particularly exciting for me to see their handsome 19.6 for the first time and to meet them; once met not forgotten after a good deal of lively conversation!

We cannot also ignore our stalwart East Anglians, Malcolm Jenner and David; Tom and Jenny Griffin, such regular attendees that we can tend to forget what an arduous journey they have had to make to this part of the world. And then John and Bentley Newton, after setting forth also from Norfolk, beset by issues with their l4hp sports, returning home to collect the 15 hp saloon, also to be defeated by mechanical gremlins.

Others were less courageous such as this writer, who only got his 15.7 coupe running after major surgery a few days previously and concerned to set out untested; others sadly no longer physically capable but with undimmed Crossley enthusiasm, - such as Tony and Barbara Courtney, David Cantor and Anna and Martin Sims, usually determined enough but frustrated by a recent back injury.

As ever it did not take long for the Colwall Park Hotel car park to fill up with cars and the lounge areas with people glad to meet each other again. Some hardy and fitter members ventured with Richard Donovan up the hill behind the hotel where they were treated to superb views, - although I was told that one member strayed became somewhat lost - whilst Liz Donovan was calmly informing arrivals and ensuring the general organisation of the event was as under as much control as any gathering of Crossley owners can be!

The meeting started well with an excellent dinner and everybody retired with strict instructions that we had to get away early in the morning and not all together such that we did not block the limited parking spaces at the first stop. As it was a Crossley owners rally, it didn't quite work out like this, but more or less on time we all got away after owners without cars obtained rides with friends. I was treated to a day out in my ‘old' 20.9 saloon by Richard Naughton, enjoyable with the car running as well as ever and beautifully presented.

The first stop was Kempley church, a small and simple, as I was told some 60 years ago Norman church, albeit now renamed pretentiously ‘Romanesque'. The glory of this church are the remarkably surviving frescoes from the early l2th century. This set the scene for the day, as they were stunningly impressive and of a quality that none of us had experienced before.

All of this was so interesting that that rather later than planned we set off for Chandos, an old l6th century farmhouse with equally aged outbuildings hugely restored it restored by its enthusiastic vintage car owners and familiar to some of us local locals as the venue for one of the hill climbs in the VSCC Herefordshire trial.

Here we had coffee and biscuits and members were entranced by poking around the ancient barns in which was a wonderfully disorganised workshop containing bicycles, motorbikes, several vintage cars and all sorts of other autojumble type things for members to look at, altogether too numerous to try and catalogue. Here was the start of our understanding of why the rally was called ‘cider and hops'; we have known Peter Donovan for a number of years in connection with ancient motorcars and more recently with the progress of the epic restoration of his period house and garden near Malvem, but we had no idea that he was qualified with a PhD in cider fermentation!

Peter enthusiastically started the day's apple seminar by taking those who were fit enough to walk up the trials hill through the cider apple orchard informing us about the many different types of cider apples and why Herefordshire soil is so important in this respect. Sadly, not your scribe as he hasn't quite the legs for the uneven hilly slopes but he was able to enjoy conversation with David Cantor and others in the garden.

All of this was so interesting that we were then late at the lunch stop, the Hop Pocket shopping village, where there were opportunities for garden enthusiasts to buy plants and enthusiasts for all kinds of other interesting things to browse, whilst others continued talking whilst partaking of either a light or a substantial lunch as desired. Sadly, Frank Jolley found a broken water hose in his 14 hp and was rendered immobile, waiting for the rescue vehicle to arrive. He had to wait hours for the recovery vehicle to transfer to his workshop, which albeit only a few miles away was up a steep hill which he was unwilling to tackle without water in the car. But he then came along on the Saturday morning in his really handsome and covetable Rover six cylinder two-door coupe.

The afternoon run was a real joy. The morning was gentle and nice and interesting, but the afternoon was quite amazing, especially as it was all so close to Worcester. The roads were quiet and very rural; a nostalgic memory for this writer who grow up in Leominster. The whole rally route was extremely cleverly planned, not straying very far but always on interesting roads. We then got to Leigh Court Barn, the largest cruck framed structure in the UK and another highly interesting building. Here Peter Donovan really came into his own using the cider making equipment in the barn to describe how cider used to be made in rural areas and the subtlety of hand making craft cider as opposed to the shortcuts now made by mass manufacturers. Quite fascinating, especially for someone like me who grew up in the middle of this cider country and where attitudes to drinking the product in the 1960s were less positive than in recent years.

After all this interesting presentation we were then tempted to return quickly to the hotel where we were promised a tasting! This took place in the garden of the hotel and was quite an eye-opener. All Peter's samples were from local Artisan products made in the way that he had previously described. We started with a lovely Perry which was gentle, flavoursome, not too sweet, such as that you would happily give it to your grandchild, but maybe not as it turned out quite dangerous at over 6% alcohol! Then we had a dry cider - a real shock to most Crossley owners, if perhaps not me as it was a rather nostalgic ‘acquired taste'. The sweet cider was an easier drink as was the final sample of sparkling, all presented with infectious enthusiasm by the custodian of the "other" UK Shelsley Crossley.

All of this set us up for the annual dinner, its usual convivial event, gifts were presented to Richard and Liz and Peter; Richard was eloquent in his comments about how much he had enjoyed organising and running the event. There had been a running quiz about all the pubs that we have passed on the days run, which was won by team Mellish, George and Bronwyn, and with Wayne Gregory and Hilary runners-up.

Malcolm Hatfield, introducing the winners of the awards, referred to a request about an ‘AGM', and professed to forget what on earth that meant and renamed it the ‘Annual Gathering of Members', after which he presented the awards, but was so obviously flustered that he gave the Edwardian trophy in place of the absent 19.6 trophy to Tom Harvey. The marking process of the results was made even simpler this year by requiring everyone to simply pick out the best in each category.

The winners were:

Climax; Dan Cole.

Larger six cylinder cars; Richard Naughton.

14 hp; Chris Spencer.

19.6; Tom Harvey.

Edwardian; Tom Griffin.

John Humphreys then ended the proceedings by his personal award of the Crossley Brick to the person doing the most for the Crossley Register in the year, and awarded it this year to Tom Fryars in recognition of his book “Rise of the Side Valves”; John making sure by not too subtle persuasion for anyone not in possession of this to immediately go and purchase one!

On the second full day of the rally we had another interesting run to Croome Park where the National Trust had allocated a car parking area just for us. We then enjoyed the beautiful parkland and walled garden and viewed the house. Thia was followed by an informal evening back at the hotel.

Overall, a brilliant annual gathering of members and many thanks to the Donovan family for organising it. A number of Crossleys attended the vintage day at Shelsley Walsh on the Sunday; Tom and Jenny Griffin, John & Bentley Newton, Wayne Gregory and Hilary Davies and Adrian Donelly. Apologies if there were others.

Members attending the rally were:

Tom Griffin - Shelsley
Tom Harvey - 19.6 tourer
John Naughton - 15/30 tourer
Chris Spencer - l4hp tourer
Frank Jolley - 15/30 tourer and Rover Speed Pilot, Hastings Coupe
Michael Anderton - 15/30 tourer
Richard Donovan - 15/30 van
George Mellish - 18/50 tourer
Malcolm Jenner - 20.9 coupe
Richard Naughton - 20.9 "Aero" saloon
Martin Jacobs - "Golden"
Dan Cole - "Torquay"
Wayne Gregory - "Regis"
Peter Donovan - Riley Gamecock