Accles-Turrell

Accles-Turrell was an early English automobile marque associated first with Perry Barr in Birmingham and later with Ashton-under-Lyne. It emerged in 1899, during the formative period of the British motor industry, when engineering companies, carriage makers, and independent inventors were experimenting with practical petrol-powered vehicles. The project linked Charles McRobie Turrell, a British motoring pioneer who had helped organize the 1896 London-to-Brighton Emancipation Run, with Accles Ltd., a Birmingham engineering business. The first Accles-Turrell was a small two-seat light carriage powered by a 3 horsepower single-cylinder engine manufactured by Accles. Its body was supplied by Arthur Mulliner of Northampton. The design used a belt drive from the engine to the rear-mounted three-speed gearbox and chain drive to the road wheels. A claimed top speed of approximately 20 miles per hour placed it within the emerging light-car and voiturette market, where simplicity, low weight, and ease of operation were more important than high performance. In 1901, the marque broadened its offering with a substantially larger four-seat automobile rated at 10/15 horsepower. Marketed as the New Turrell, this vehicle used a flat-twin engine positioned beneath the front seat. Power reached the rear wheels through a two-speed constant-mesh gearbox. Contemporary descriptions emphasized the car’s low vibration, quiet operation, simplicity, and efficiency, characteristics intended to distinguish it from the rougher and less refined early motor vehicles of the period. The New Turrell’s commercial and manufacturing history extended beyond the original Birmingham association. Pollock Ltd. of Ashton-under-Lyne acquired the rights to the design, and the automobile was subsequently produced by the Autocar Construction Company and sold under the Hermes name. This transition illustrates the fluid structure of the early automotive industry, in which designs, manufacturing rights, and brand identities could move between engineering firms and specialist vehicle companies. Accles and Pollock later combined their activities to form Accles & Pollock, a tube-making enterprise rather than a continuing automobile manufacturer. The automobile marque itself did not survive as an independent operating brand after the early 1900s. Accles-Turrell is therefore best understood as a short-lived pioneering British automobile name rather than as a modern corporate brand. Its historical importance lies in its connection to the early development of light cars, its use of locally produced engineering components, and the subsequent transfer of its larger-car design into the Hermes product line.

Accles-Turrell was created in 1899 in Perry Barr, Birmingham, against the background of Britain’s rapidly developing but still fragmented motor industry. The undertaking brought together Charles McRobie Turrell, an early British motorist and organizer associated with the 1896 London-to-Brighton Emancipation Run, and Accles Ltd., a Birmingham engineering company. At this stage, automobile production was often a collaboration between engineering firms that supplied engines and mechanisms, specialist coachbuilders that constructed bodies, and entrepreneurs who promoted or designed the finished vehicle. The first vehicle was a compact two-seat light carriage. It used a 3 horsepower single-cylinder engine made by Accles and a body built by Arthur Mulliner of Northampton. Its drivetrain reflected the mechanical practices of the period: the engine transmitted power by belt to a three-speed gearbox, while a chain drove the rear wheels. The manufacturer claimed a maximum speed of about 20 miles per hour. The car’s small size and relatively simple layout positioned it within the early light-car market, where low operating complexity and accessibility were important selling points. By 1901, Accles-Turrell had developed a larger four-seat vehicle rated at 10/15 horsepower. This model became known as the New Turrell. Its flat-twin engine was installed beneath the front seat and drove the rear wheels through a two-speed constant-mesh gearbox. The car was promoted as vibrationless, quiet, efficient, and straightforward, reflecting the industry’s effort to make motor vehicles more acceptable for ordinary touring and private transport. The New Turrell did not remain solely under the original Birmingham manufacturing arrangement. Pollock Ltd. of Ashton-under-Lyne acquired rights to the design, and the vehicle became associated with production in Ashton-under-Lyne from 1901 to 1902. The design was later manufactured by the Autocar Construction Company and sold as the Hermes. This sequence indicates that Accles-Turrell’s technical contribution outlasted the original marque and continued through licensing, transfer, or reuse of its vehicle design under another name. Accles and Pollock subsequently joined forces to form Accles & Pollock, a company specializing in tube manufacture. That later industrial development was distinct from the short-lived Accles-Turrell automobile operation. The automobile brand itself disappeared after the early years of the twentieth century and did not develop into a lasting automotive group. The surviving historical record is consequently concentrated on the two documented vehicle types and the movement of the New Turrell design between companies. Accles-Turrell’s significance is therefore primarily historical. It represents the numerous small British manufacturers that helped establish local expertise in engines, chassis, body construction, and vehicle marketing before the industry consolidated around larger firms. Its cars were produced only briefly, but the marque illustrates how early automobile businesses combined external body suppliers, proprietary engineering, and transferred production rights. It is now treated as a defunct British automobile name rather than an active consumer brand.

1. 1902New Turrell design continues as the Hermes

   The Autocar Construction Company later produces and sells the design under the Hermes name.

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2. 1901New Turrell four-seat model introduced

   The company develops a larger 10/15 hp four-seat car with a flat-twin engine and two-speed constant-mesh transmission.

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3. 1901Manufacturing rights move to Ashton-under-Lyne

   Pollock Ltd. acquires rights to the New Turrell, associating subsequent production with Ashton-under-Lyne.

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4. 1899Accles-Turrell automobile production begins in Birmingham

   The marque begins with a 3 hp two-seat light carriage built in Perry Barr, Birmingham.

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5. 1896Turrell helps organize the London-to-Brighton Emancipation Run

   Before the Accles-Turrell venture, Charles McRobie Turrell was involved in organizing the pioneering London-to-Brighton motoring event that followed the relaxation of restrictions on mechanically propelled vehicles.

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Early British light-automobile manufacturer focused on simple, compact, and mechanically efficient petrol vehicles.

• 3 hp two-seat light carriageLight automobile1899

  The original Accles-Turrell was a compact two-seat light carriage introduced in 1899. It used a single-cylinder 3 horsepower engine manufactured by Accles, with a body supplied by Arthur Mulliner of Northampton. Its rear-wheel drivetrain used a belt connection to a three-speed gearbox and chain drive to the wheels. A claimed top speed of approximately 20 mph reflected the modest performance expectations of early light automobiles.

• 10/15 hp New TurrellFour-seat automobile1901

  The New Turrell was the marque’s larger four-seat model, introduced in 1901. It used a flat-twin 10/15 horsepower engine mounted beneath the front seat and transmitted power to the rear wheels through a two-speed constant-mesh gearbox. Its contemporary positioning stressed quietness, low vibration, simplicity, and efficiency. Rights were acquired by Pollock Ltd., and the design was later produced by the Autocar Construction Company as the Hermes.

• 1901Expansion from a light carriage to the New TurrellProduct launch

  After beginning with a small two-seat vehicle, Accles-Turrell developed a larger four-seat car for customers seeking greater carrying capacity and touring utility.

  What changed. The company introduced the 10/15 hp New Turrell with a flat-twin engine beneath the front seat and a two-speed constant-mesh gearbox.

  Aftermath. The model’s rights were later acquired by Pollock Ltd. and the design was subsequently sold as the Hermes by the Autocar Construction Company.

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• 1901Transfer of New Turrell production rightsStrategy

  The early automobile industry frequently relied on the transfer of designs and manufacturing rights between engineering and vehicle companies.

  What changed. Pollock Ltd. of Ashton-under-Lyne acquired rights to the New Turrell design.

  Aftermath. Production became associated with Ashton-under-Lyne, and the design later continued under the Hermes name.

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• 1902The New Turrell design is later sold as the Hermes

  The design was subsequently manufactured by the Autocar Construction Company and marketed under the Hermes name.

  Product generation
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• 1901The larger New Turrell automobile is introduced

  A four-seat 10/15 hp model known as the New Turrell expanded the marque beyond its original light-car design.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 1901Production rights for the New Turrell move to Pollock

  Pollock Ltd. of Ashton-under-Lyne acquired rights to the New Turrell, shifting the model’s manufacturing association away from the original Birmingham operation.

  M&A
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• 1899Accles-Turrell begins producing a 3 hp light automobile

  The Accles-Turrell project began in Birmingham with a two-seat light carriage using a single-cylinder Accles engine, a three-speed gearbox, and chain drive to the rear wheels.

  Product launch
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1. Accles-Turrell