Made in Montreal: Skinner family history

Showing posts with label Skinner family history. Show all posts

Friday, August 1, 2025

Welby Arthur Skinner, 1896 - 1984

Brief bio of Welby Arthur Skinner:

When Welby Arthur Skinner was born on 13 November 1896, in Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom, his father, Arthur John Skinner, was 28 and his mother, Elizabeth Mary Ann Eagle Roberts, was 20. He married Florence Maud Hurst in 1920, in Camberwell, London, England, United Kingdom. He lived in City of London, England, United Kingdom in 1901 and Camberwell, Surrey, England in 1911. He died in June 1984, in Bromley, London, England, United Kingdom, at the age of 87, and was buried in Camberwell, London, England, United Kingdom.
-- Source: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5RT-4SQ/welby-arthur-skinner-1896-1984

Welby Arthur Skinner

Welby Skinner's Rolls Royce:

The following is from the FaceBook page of the present owner of Welby Skinner's Rolls Royce:

"This is my 1933 20/25 AXE451. She was bought new in 1933 from Jack Barclay by my wife's great uncle, Welby Skinner. Welby was a Harley Street dentist and a bit of a show off. He was determined to buy himself a Rolls Royce, and to cushion the grief from his wife on the day he came home in it, he stopped off to buy her a mink coat!
The original coach builder was Mann Egerton (mainly known for building aircraft I believe), but then in 1951 Welby splashed out £500 to have her coachwork modernised by Gurney Nutting. The front wings were custom made to look similar in appearance to the Phantom 3 which lead to alterations of the running boards and lower doors. P100 headlamps were added too.
I'll post a bit more about the car and how she ended up in my care soon.

Edit:
Welby's wife, Florrie, passed away and he remarried in the 1960s. (Since being in my care, I have named the car Florrie in honour of his wife. The 'rr' in the middle a nod to the manufacturer). Welby remarried and in 1969 gifted the Rolls to his step son, Malcolm. The Rolls didn't clock up many miles once owned by Malcolm, but it did come out for my wedding on 14th April 1994 (30 years next week!). Later that year Malcolm started 'tinkering'. Oh dear! Until my ownership in 2020, the headlamps sat on a sofa in Malcolm's lounge and 90% of the interior, door cards included, sat in his dining room. Ah, the life of a bachelor! He took various parts of the engine apart and didn't reassemble things correctly. Little did I know what fun I was to have in the future.

-- Stephen Holmes on Facebook"

-- Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/661772477715251/posts/1529698040922686/

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More information on Welby's Rolls Royce: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1933169

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Rolls-Royce 20 25 for hire in Sevenoaks
Hire this Rolls-Royce 20 25 for your event
Information about the vehicle

This is a wonderful Rolls Royce 20/25 built in 1933 and 'modernised' in 1951. She wears her history extremely well, in that she is not a gleaming repainted example, but instead demonstrates a beautiful patina. 'Florrie' has been in the same family from new and has a huge history file. Welby Skinner, a Harley Street dentist, bought her new from Jack Barclay. On his way home he bought a mink coat for his wife to pacify her a little!

Source: https://www.bookaclassic.co.uk/rolls-royce-20-25-sevenoaks/
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Stephen Holmes brings his 1933 Rolls Royce 20/25 that has been owned by his family from new. ‘Florrie’, as the Rolls is affectionately named, was bought from Jack Barclays by Stephen’s wife’s great uncle, Welby Skinner, in 1933, and has been handed down through the generations.

-- Source: https://mikebrewermotoring.com/news/shows-and-events/london-to- brighton-runs-get-ready-for-the-start-line/

Welby Skinner, Royal Academy:

Welby Skinner, older brother of RR Skinner and the self-proclaimed family head after his mother died, exhibited two times with the Royal Academy's yearly exhibitions. In 1945, he contributed "Summer Shade"; in 1947, he contributed "Midsummer Shade". The following are paintings mostly of his wife, Florence Skinner (1891 - 1960). Source:https://chronicle250.com/index/exhibitors/s