It’s a strange sight, isn’t it? Premier Autocentres empty of its cars. Premier closed its doors for good in June 2024 following the retirement of the owner, Patrick Stone. Premier has been a business of significant size in Blackfen, not just in surface area but also in stature and longevity. Formerly known as XL, the petrol station here was taken over by Patrick Stone senior in 1968. In 1977 James Hunt, the world racing champion, paid a visit together with a number of ‘Green Shield’ girls to cut some ribbons and attend a buffet lunch. By the 1980s it was no longer economical to compete with large petrol stations which started selling groceries and so it was decided to concentrate on car selling and maintenance. Additional sites were acquired to allow the business to grow. You may remember one of them on the opposite side of the road which was called ‘Dodgy Duncan’s’. Patrick Stone junior took over running the business from his father in 1983. Premier has played an active role over in the years in donating money to charity and sponsoring events.

But petrol-selling on this site goes back much earlier. In 1931 William Brown established the Blackfen Garage here next to his four-bedroom house called Meadowview. (This house was later occupied by accountants until it was demolished in the 1980s).

So it is indeed the end of an era for sunny Blackfen. I (as I’m sure many others do) wish Patrick a long and happy retirement.

Pictured here along with photos taken today are a couple of adverts: Ladas from Premier Autocentres (Croydon Advertiser 14 May 1993) and the Incredibly Famous Dodgy Duncan’s (Croydon Post 18 December 1996) which confirms that ‘Sunny Blackfen’ is indeed an official place.