Tickler’s Marmalade Leyland Delivery Lorry and Trailer c.1920–1925.
This original, large, framed photograph depicts an early Leyland motor lorry and matching trailer carrying the distinctive Tickler’s Marmalade advertising livery of the Grimsby food manufacturer Tickler’s Ltd. The vehicle bears registration MK 2489, while an illustrated Tickler’s advertising panel is mounted on the driver’s door. Two men are visible in the cab.
Measuring approximately 24 inches (61 cm) wide, the photograph survives in its original substantial wooden frame, complete with a brass Leyland manufacturer’s plaque. The quality of both the photograph and its presentation suggests it was intended to be a significant display piece.
The photograph was recovered during the complete clearance of a very old engineering building in Grimsby, where it had remained for many decades. Although its earlier history is unknown, it preserves an important record of one of the town’s best-known manufacturers and an early commercial vehicle carrying its distinctive branding.
Founded in Grimsby by Thomas George Tickler in 1877, Tickler’s developed into one of Britain’s leading producers of jams, marmalades and preserves. During the First World War the company secured major government contracts to supply jam to the British Army, greatly expanding production and establishing a national reputation. In the years that followed, motor lorries such as this became an essential part of the company’s distribution network, while their boldly painted canopies served as effective travelling advertisements for the Tickler’s name.
The vehicle is characteristic of the early years of commercial road transport, with its solid rubber tyres, substantial trailer and purpose-built advertising body reflecting the transition from horse-drawn delivery wagons to motorised distribution. As both a transport vehicle and a mobile advertisement, it represents an important stage in the development of British commercial transport.
Today, this photograph is a valuable record of Grimsby’s industrial and commercial heritage, preserving the image of an early Leyland commercial vehicle associated with one of the town’s most successful manufacturing businesses.
Collection: Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum (Virtual)
