OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Personal Histories MR SCOTT BONNAR's Bloor Court Premises - c1917-19

PART ONE

Hello ODK History Lovers

This is new research that sheds new light on the pre-history of the Scott Bonnar Company.
The primary source of information regarding the founding of the 1920 company comes from Malcolm
Cornelius Bonnar (Mick) and his 1971 Memoir. The problem with that recollection is that it
remained silent on the activities of brother Scott prior to 1920.

I had previously dealt with Scott Bonnar's first premises at Young Street HERE.

This post's subject matter is more complex, and it deals with Scott Bonnar's business at Bloor Court,
from about mid-1917 to the very end of 1919.

This posting set is the result of research I conducted over the last few years. The most exciting find
- and revelation - was that the man, Scott Bonnar, was well-and-truly involved with lawnmowers prior to
1920! That fact, alone, must re-write the view, propagated by brother Malcolm, that Scott Bonnar's
introduction to lawnmowers came about by a chance, triggering event in 1923 (the Tom Harrison Story).

I have included two Supplementary Stories to augment this posting. They are the Tom Harrison Story,
and the Atkinson Story, both relevant to a better understanding of the young man, Scott Bonnar.
Links to the supplements may be found under Related Reading at the bottom of this page.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - CONTEXT

Bloor Court had some notoriety as once housing the early feminist movement of the late 1960s:
"Women's Liberation Movement housed at Bloor House situated in Bloor Court off Currie Street, in
Adelaide. They provided an environment where ideas for supporting women's rights were fostered."
[See http://trove.nla.gov.au/people/599672?c=people ]

In the 1980s, Bloor Court was the original home for the Adelaide Central School of Art (1982-1988).
Today, Bloor Court is a ... nothing. There are no premises that front the little court, long demolished
and replaced by that symbolic, concrete monument to the modern city - the mutli-level carpark.
Apparently the concrete jungle makes a nice graffiti gallery for aspiring artists, so I guess that
artisan and artistic flair lives on ...

Here is a recent photograph of the South side of Currie Street, looking east from Light Square.
The red arrow indicates the entrance to Bloor Court.



Here's a photograph of the entrance to Bloor Court today ...


[Source: Google Maps]

And here's a look at the Court itself. It's not much - a graffiti gallery perhaps?


[Source: Google Maps]

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - Scott Bonnar's Bloor Court

When Mr Scott Bonnar moved a block north in mid-1917, he settled at new Premises in Bloor Court,
off Currie Street. Some advertising records referred to as the premises as simply 'S. Bonnar',
or the 'S. Bonnar Factory', or 'S. Bonnar's Machine Works' and later, 'Bonnar's Engineering Works'.
At this time Scott Bonnar acquired his first business phone number, Central 1152.

Just like at Young Street, the location was a smaller street off a main street. The address was
sometimes given as 'S. Bonnar, Bloor-Court, Off Currie Street'. More often, the advertising would
reflect a landmark. At Young Street it was 'Next Detmold's'. Here, it would be 'opp. Chas. Atkins'.

MUD MAP
Here is my Mud Map of the story and the locations of buildings, businesses and photo sets.
The landmark Charles Atkins building is labelled as "1" on my map. It is, pretty much, directly
opposite the entrance to Bloor Court.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FOUR - North Side, Currie Street

The old firm of Charles Atkins & Co. was an Adelaide landmark. Described in directories as
'oil and machine merchants and engineers - furnishers', they sold everything from oil to oil
engines - a sort of large ironmonger, but with an engineering and machinery focus.

If Scott Bonnar was to walk from his premises towards Currie Street (about 35 metres) he would
almost face the Atkins and Company building on the opposite, north-side of Currie Street. This
is Photo Set #1 on my Mud Map.

In this Photo set from 1918-1927 (left to right), Scott would have seen the Unbehaun & Johnson
Building (Electrical Engineers); William Adams & Company (Engineers, who would later make the Presto
lawnmower); T. O'Connor (Plumber); W.E. Ekins (Gunmaker); Charles Atkins (Oil & Machinery Merchants),
and finally; the Duke of York Hotel.

Note that the Unbehaun & Johnson and Atkins' buildings had large electric light advertising on their
roofs - not that common at all in 1918.


[Image 1918, State Library of S.A.]
Mud Map U&J building number "3" Unbehaun & Johnson


[Image: 1927, State Library of S.A.]
Mud Map Charles Atkins & Company


[Image: 1927, State Library of S.A.]
Mud Map Duke of York Hotel

All the buildings that Scott would have seen (above) survive today, albeit some with modern facades.
Here is a 2015 Google Earth image:



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FIVE - South Side, Currie Street

I've shown you what Bloor Court looks like today. I have been unsuccessful at locating any
photographs of Bloor Court from Scott Bonnar's time there - or at any time really. It was as
though the little Court hid from view.

SCOTT BONNAR Premises - Photo Set #2
I can tell you what the entrance looked like though. Here is an 1897 photo of the entrance to
Bloor Court. I believe that Scott Bonnar's premises were at the rear of this building, the Wilcox,
Mofflin Company's Hide, Skin and Wool warehouse - because, in one rare record, I found the Bonnar
address listed as 'Rear Wilcox, Currie Street' [see PART EIGHT].
[Note the animal hides on the horse cart in Bloor Court.]


[Image: 1897, State Library of S.A.]
Mud Map building number "4" Wilcox, Mofflin Warehouse

In any case, I believe the former Scott Bonnar premises were destroyed in a fire which occurred
on Monday, 2nd January, 1928. That fire also destroyed the S.C. Eyles and Co. grocery warehouse.
Note the Richards Building (now used by University of S.A.) survived the conflagration.


[Image: 1928, State Library of S.A.]

In this newspaper photograph (below) note the Charles Atkins building and Duke of York Hotel
in the background. At the bottom of the photo is the location, I believe, of where the former
Scott Bonnar premises once stood.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART SIX - Business Activities

There are distinctly noticeable differences between the businesses carried on by Scott Bonnar at
Bloor Court - as compared with his former address at Young Street.

In dividing the record up between 'Selling' and 'Wanted' a number of reasonable conclusions may be drawn.

SELLING at BLOOR COURT
On the selling side of the explanatory ledger, it is clear that Scott moved away from automotive dealings.
Advertising for vehicles are largely restricted to 1917 (with a couple of exceptions).

The manufacture of the 'Lightning' Greenfeed Cutter remains a constant for the entire period. Scott Bonnar
appears to introduce a small, budget version of the Lightning, named 'The Scott', in mid-late 1917. This
was used, 'where few fowls kept' and sold at 10 shillings:-



Advertising for the larger Lightning cutter continued for the whole period, the most popular model being
the medium size, which sold at 25 shillings:-



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART SEVEN - LAWNMOWERS!

The BIG surprise in Scott Bonnar's business activities at Bloor Court was that he engaged in the
buying, selling and repair of lawnmowers! This clearly alters our understanding of the received story
(from Mick Bonnar) that Scott Bonnar's introduction to lawnmowers occurred in 1923: It didn't! That
1923 event - the T.J. Harrison Story - should now be considered a re-introduction to Scott Bonnar's
involvement with lawnmowers.






TO BE CONTINUED...

PART EIGHT - WANTED at BLOOR COURT

The Wanted Record is also most telling in our understanding of Scott Bonnar's Bloor Court business.
It is mostly an 'employment wanted' set of records. For me, it indicates that the business was
expanding and successful.

Scott Bonnar advertised for equipment, but mostly for employees for general work, mechanical work,
machining, electroplating, improving, and presswork. He invited some to learn the trade (as apprentices)
and advertised 'good wages'.



In the advertisement below, note the reference to the Scott Bonnar premises being at
the rear of the Wilcox, Mofflin Building, discussed in PART FIVE above.



In the 'Wanted' Record below it is clear that the business was expanding, with a
number of unskilled and trade positions being advertised:-



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART NINE - Analysis & Conclusion

In this set of posts and the supplements on Atkinson and Harrison I have discussed the business
activities of a young Scott Bonnar at his second premises - Bloor Court - between the years from
about mid-1917 and late-1919.

The research revealed that the manufacture of his Lightning green feed cutter continued and it
appeared that it was quite a successful product, with it being advertised as being sold at leading
hardware stores.

Scott was clearly running an advanced machine shop that included a number of different trade skills
- mechanical work, machining, electroplating, improving (foundry casting), and presswork. I have no
doubt that Scott commenced manufacture of his ESBE range of brassware here, or had done so previously
at Young Street.

The significant event was that concerning lawnmowers. The advertising record reveals that this had
become a significant part of the business in 1919. Scott Bonnar advertised that Bonnar Engineering
were experts in the repair of lawnmowers, and mowers were wanted 'in any condition' for, I guess,
spare parts, or refurbishment as reconditioned lawnmowers.

The discovering of the involvement of Atkinson & Company is open to speculation. I have argued that
the arrangement to take over the Bonnar business at the start of 1920 may have come about as a
contingency plan to Scott re-enlisting in the Army.

Of interest is a Mr 'H.E. Date', sometimes referred to as 'Mr Date Bonnar'. My best guess is that
Mr Date was the man-in-charge when Scott was undertaking his military obligations.




The discovery of the Tom Harrison premises being 'just across the street' from Bloor Court was
presented in my second supplement, the Harrison Story. This close proximity led me to believe
that there was more to the Malcolm Bonnar memory as to how Scott Bonnar became involved in
lawnmowers. Here I presented a credible backstory that Tommy Harrison's 1923 request to have
his mower converted to power was far less a chance event.

As to why lawnmowers did not form part of the operations of the new 1920 Scott Bonnar business
at Chapel Street is clearly open to speculation. I guess the appropriate place to discuss that
issue will be a future article on the Chapel Street premises that will appear in these History
Forums at some future time.

The rest is history.
--------------------------------------------------
JACK

THE ATKINSON STORY
THE HARRISON STORY



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