Please Wait
This won't take a moment...
Group 1 Automotive History
-
-
1890 Where it all began
Our founder John Clayton Beadle, opened his workshop in the late 1890’s originally manufacturing horse drawn carriages. Over the next three decades he was to play an integral part in one the most dramatic shifts in modes of transport for centuries. The age of the Motor Car had begun!
-
1910 Building the foundations
By 1910 Beadles was firmly settled in one of the first indoor showrooms in the country.
-
1914 Lest we for forget
On the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, the country wasn’t just in need of young men and women for the war effort.
-
1915 The birth of a dynasty
In May 1915 Beadles became a limited company trading as John C Beadle Limited (later renamed Beadles Dartford Limited). It is this milestone that we believe signals the start of our first 100 years.
-
1939 We’ll fight them … in the air
Plunged back into the darkness of yet another European conflict the wealth of experience and knowledge that Beadles engineers had amassed over the previous four decades was put to work by the War Office supplying Merlin engines most famously used in the Supermarine Spitfire.
-
1957 Peace and Prosperity
With peace restored to Europe it was now time to get back to work but Beadles were about to drive down a new path.
-
1960 The Swinging 60’s
The 1960’s was the decade where cars, which had previously been seen as a luxury for the rich and privileged, were now within the reach of the average worker.
-
1969 Rolling Forward
In 1969 Beadles acquired premises in Main Road Sidcup operating the Rover franchise. Further expansion now seemed inevitable …
-
1994 Expansion as we approach the end if the 20th century
The second half of the 90’s saw significant growth of the Group 1 Automotive including the opening of the first Volkswagen dealership.
-
2000 A New Millenium
As we entered the new millennium, fears of wholesale computer shut downs proved unfounded and Group 1 Automotive continued to expand and grow
-
Celebrating the Centenary
In our first hundred years we have witnessed the birth of the motor car, two World Wars, manned space flight and the introduction of the internet. What the future holds we do not know, but continuing to exceed our customers’ expectations will remain our number one priority.
-
One Moment Please
This won't take long...
Thank You
Your enquiry has been sent and we will contact you using the details provided as soon as possible!
Enquire Now
Please complete the form below:
- Title
- First Name
- Surname
- Telephone
- Franchise
Enquiry / CommentsWhen you give us your contact details, Group 1 Automotive companies, our authorised dealer network or our agents may use your data to email or phone you about Group 1 Automotive products, services and offers which we believe may be of interest to you. We may also contact you to conduct market research, so we can improve our service to you. We never sell or share your information with third party organisations.
-
![Chelmsford Audi]()
Chelmsford AudiChelmsford, Essex, CM2 5PX
-
![Chingford Audi]()
Chingford AudiChingford, London, E4 8JA
-
![Citroën Peterborough]()
Citroën PeterboroughPeterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 5YS
-
![CUPRA Hatfield]()
CUPRA HatfieldHatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 5JN
-
![CUPRA Ipswich]()
CUPRA IpswichIpswich, Suffolk, IP1 5NY
-
![Finchley Road Audi]()
Finchley Road AudiWest Hampstead, London, NW3 6LT
-
![Group 1 Bedford BMW]()
Group 1 Bedford BMWBedford, Bedfordshire, MK41 0GL
-
![Group 1 Bedford MINI]()
Group 1 Bedford MINIBedford, Bedfordshire, MK41 0GL
-
![Group 1 Borehamwood BMW]()
Group 1 Borehamwood BMWBorehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 2BT
-
![Group 1 Borehamwood MINI]()
Group 1 Borehamwood MINIBorehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 2BT
-
![Group 1 Brighton BMW]()
Group 1 Brighton BMWBrighton, East Sussex, BN41 1YH
-
![Group 1 Brighton MINI]()
Group 1 Brighton MINIBrighton, East Sussex, BN41 1YH
-
![Group 1 Cambridge BMW]()
Group 1 Cambridge BMWCambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB23 6EF
-
![Group 1 Cambridge MINI]()
Group 1 Cambridge MINICambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB23 6EF
-
![Group 1 Farnborough BMW]()
Group 1 Farnborough BMWFarnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6TL
-
![Group 1 Farnborough MINI]()
Group 1 Farnborough MINIFarnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6TL
-
![Group 1 Ford Basingstoke]()
Group 1 Ford BasingstokeBasingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6YL
-
![Group 1 Ford Farnborough]()
Group 1 Ford FarnboroughFarnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7QW
-
![Group 1 Ford Guildford]()
Group 1 Ford GuildfordGuildford, Surrey, GU1 1TB
-
![Group 1 Ford Newbury]()
Group 1 Ford NewburyNewbury, Berkshire, RG14 7HT
-
![Group 1 Ford Wokingham]()
Group 1 Ford WokinghamWokingham, Berkshire, RG40 3JS
-
![Group 1 Hailsham BMW]()
Group 1 Hailsham BMWHailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3UA
-
![Group 1 Hailsham MINI]()
Group 1 Hailsham MINIHailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3UA
-
![Group 1 Hatfield SEAT]()
Group 1 Hatfield SEATHatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 5JN
-
![Group 1 Hindhead BMW]()
Group 1 Hindhead BMWHindhead, Surrey, GU26 6FZ
-
![Group 1 Hindhead MINI]()
Group 1 Hindhead MINIHindhead, Surrey, GU26 6FZ
-
![Group 1 Ipswich SEAT]()
Group 1 Ipswich SEATIpswich, Suffolk, IP1 5NY
-
![Group 1 Jaguar North West London]()
Group 1 Jaguar North West LondonStaples Corner Business Park, London, NW2 7JP
-
![Group 1 Jaguar Sidcup]()
Group 1 Jaguar SidcupSidcup, Kent, DA14 6PB
-
![Group 1 Jaguar Southend]()
Group 1 Jaguar SouthendRochford, Essex, SS4 1GP
-
![Group 1 Jaguar Watford]()
Group 1 Jaguar WatfordWatford, Hertfordshire, WD17 2JX
-
![Group 1 KIA Coulsdon]()
Group 1 KIA CoulsdonCoulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2AR
-
![Group 1 KIA Maidstone]()
Group 1 KIA MaidstoneMaidstone, Kent, ME20 7UB
-
![Group 1 Land Rover North West London]()
Group 1 Land Rover North West LondonStaples Corner, London, NW2 7JP
-
![Group 1 Land Rover Sidcup]()
Group 1 Land Rover SidcupSidcup, Kent, DA14 6PB
-
![Group 1 Land Rover Southend]()
Group 1 Land Rover SouthendRochford, Essex, SS4 1GP
-
![Group 1 Land Rover Watford]()
Group 1 Land Rover WatfordWatford, Hertfordshire, WD17 2JX
-
Group 1 Southend BMW
Leigh on Sea, Essex, SS9 4XX
-
![Group 1 Southend MINI]()
Group 1 Southend MINILeigh on Sea, Essex, SS9 4XX
-
![Group 1 Stansted BMW]()
Group 1 Stansted BMWBishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2BT
-
![Group 1 Stansted MINI]()
Group 1 Stansted MINIBishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2BT
-
![Group 1 Toyota Maidstone]()
Group 1 Toyota MaidstoneMaidstone, Kent, ME20 7UB
-
![Group 1 Toyota Medway]()
Group 1 Toyota MedwayGillingham, Kent, ME8 0PZ
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Bromley]()
Group 1 Volkswagen BromleyBromley, Kent, BR1 4JS
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Chelmsford]()
Group 1 Volkswagen ChelmsfordChelmsford, Essex, CM1 3BH
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Colchester]()
Group 1 Volkswagen ColchesterColchester, Essex, CO4 5XB
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Dartford]()
Group 1 Volkswagen DartfordDartford, Kent, DA1 1LN
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Lowestoft]()
Group 1 Volkswagen LowestoftLowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 7NA
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Maidstone]()
Group 1 Volkswagen MaidstoneMaidstone, Kent, ME20 7TQ
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Norwich]()
Group 1 Volkswagen NorwichNorwich, Norfolk, NR2 4LX
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Peterborough]()
Group 1 Volkswagen PeterboroughPeterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 5YS
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Romford]()
Group 1 Volkswagen RomfordRomford, Essex, RM3 0GU
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Sevenoaks]()
Group 1 Volkswagen SevenoaksSevenoaks, Kent, TN14 5PA
-
![Group 1 Volkswagen Southend]()
Group 1 Volkswagen SouthendSouthend, Essex, SS2 6XR
-
![Group 1 Worthing BMW]()
Group 1 Worthing BMWLittlehampton, West Sussex, BN16 3FH
-
![Group 1 Worthing MINI]()
Group 1 Worthing MINILittlehampton, West Sussex, BN16 3FH
-
![Group 1 Škoda Maidstone]()
Group 1 Škoda MaidstoneMaidstone, Kent, ME20 7UB
-
![Group 1 Škoda Norwich]()
Group 1 Škoda NorwichNorwich, Norfolk, NR2 4UY
-
![Group 1 Škoda Southend]()
Group 1 Škoda SouthendLeigh on Sea, Essex, SS9 5NG
-
![Harold Wood Audi]()
Harold Wood AudiRomford, Essex, RM3 0YD
-
![Hatfield Audi]()
Hatfield AudiHatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 5JN
-
![Mercedes-Benz of Bury St Edmunds]()
Mercedes-Benz of Bury St EdmundsBury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 6NH
-
![Mercedes-Benz of Cambridge]()
Mercedes-Benz of CambridgeCambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB5 8SH
-
![Mercedes-Benz of Kings Lynn]()
Mercedes-Benz of Kings LynnKing's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 4NB
-
![Mercedes-Benz of Norwich]()
Mercedes-Benz of NorwichNorwich, Norfolk, NR2 4TN
-
![Mercedes-Benz of Peterborough]()
Mercedes-Benz of PeterboroughPeterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE7 8JA
-
![Norwich Audi]()
Norwich AudiNorwich, Norfolk, NR7 0TA
-
![smart Cambridge]()
smart CambridgeCambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB5 8SH
-
![Southend Audi]()
Southend AudiRayleigh, Essex, SS6 7UQ
-
![Stansted Audi]()
Stansted AudiBishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 7DW
-
![Watford Audi]()
Watford AudiWatford, Hertfordshire, WD25 8HL
-
![Whetstone Audi]()
Whetstone AudiWhetstone, London, N20 0PT
