is this the old Vox factory in Dartford?

[negninegaw]

I did some photoshopping.
This is more or less what I saw in 69/70. There were no cars.
Shop windows - if any- probably smaller.
And the Jennings name instead of the yellow sign
Is there any original photo of the building from that time ?

[JimN]

I do not recall seeing this building in 1969/70. I would have noticed it, because I was so surprised to find the earlier building. Strange.
Could it be a picture from somwhere else?

Yes and no.

That picture (often used in brochures and promo material) was a fake. Not a complete fake, but substantially faked.

All is revealed in the "Vox Amplifiers - the JMI Years" book by Jim Elyea.

JN

[negninegaw]

I contacted Jim Elyea of "the Vox Story". He writes:

"The original facility is still there, and last time I checked is occupied by J&J Sound and Lighting.
In the posted color photo, it appears to be the white building to the right of the brown one. The brown building is a replacement of a building put up in the JMI era. In my book, I speak of the Erith factory not being there any more - that may be where the confusion comes from - but the Dartford Road site at 119 is still standing. As Jim N. mentioned, there are several vintage shots of Dartford Road in the day in my book, Vox Amplifiers, the JMI Years. If you or someone else makes a pilgrimage there, please don't bother the people at J&J about the old days or ask if there is anything left from the old days. I assure you that I have been through every inch of it, and there is nothing left."

Now I am puzzled, because I think the brown building is from the thirties, and I am sure that I saw it in 1969/70, as I stated before.
And it is still there...

[negninegaw]

I think that the white building was added after 1970, because I remember
a freestanding brown Jennings building surrounded by a green field.
No nearby houses on that side of the road.
Can anyone from Dartford (or maybe parents) confirm that?

[Havelock]

Hi,

these two google maps (no sponsorship) maybe of interest to the forum :-

Rolling Stones / Dartford / Darenth Valley
http://bit.ly/QJn7a8

Cheap Eats In london
http://bit.ly/Hu3ToS

I grew up around the corner from the Jennings Factory

Kind Regards,
Havelock

[negninegaw]

Thanks. Could my photoshopped picture of the old Jennings building be true (about1970)?
I had a friend John Simpson, who lived on 29, Denver Rd. who played with Mick Jagger when they were children.

[Havelock]

Quoting from an email from October 9th 2012
Dr Mike Still
Curator
Dartford Borough Museum

"I do, however, have some information, based on comparison of maps,
which may be of interest to you. The site of the factory and offices
(no.115) is where the shop section of the Esso/Tesco petrol station
now stands on the corner of Dartford Road and Devonshire Road.
The building currently occupied by Europcar did not exist back
in JMI days and has been built on what was mostly vacant land,
although the right hand side of the new building must be over
the site of no.117 Dartford Road which was used by Jennings
for storage and repair. The only building remaining from that
time is no.119 which was used for Research and Development and,
at one time, as a Jennings retail shop. It is now the ADS Business Centre.
The adjoining premises, no.121 (Hair Flair), was never part of the
Jennings complex even though the company wished to purchase it.
Both modern and 1960s maps show a shed at the rear of no.119.
This was where accordions were stripped down and refurbished
but the shed is probably not the original one.

My guess for the date of demolition of nos 115-117, from personal memories,
would be late 1970s or even early/mid 1980s"

Kind regards,

Havelock

[negninegaw]

Thanks Philip, a lot of interesting information!

[JimN]

According to more than one person who worked for JMI in the glory days, the "factory" comprised several lightly-constructed sheds to the rear of 119 Dartford Road. They have all gone. The front building was quite small and was used as the offices and an electronics workshop grandly termed "the labs". The art department (if there was one) cleverly re-worked a photo of the frontage to make it seem much bigger than it was, even to the extent of faking an extra wing which simply didn't exist - ever.

JN

[Amanda]

I seem to recall reading that old AC30's etc were used as "Hardcore" for the petrol station!!