Growing up in Lincolnshire I was always interested in the many traditional petrol filling stations that were in our small towns and villages across the county selling numerous of what today have become minority brands and showing a variety of architecture and different site layouts.

Some of our villages were even lucky to have two sites serving fuel even carrying brands today classed as some of the biggest in the fuel market which today the smaller sites are no longer associated with these big brands if any brands at all.

I find the subject even more interesting today as since the mid 1980's I started to notice a decline in the traditional petrol station with many of these known sites no longer retailing fuel but continuing to trade as service garages/car sales forecourts or the hand car washes which are fast occupying some of these old filling station forecourts.

Sadly many factors have contributed to the demise of these filling stations with the rise of the supermarket forecourts selling cut price fuel, the modern day vehicle fuel economy and the little to no profit from selling fuel. With regular maintenance required to keep these older sites serving fuel, which can come at a large cost, not worth keeping the pumps open.

Sadly the support of local residents isn't enough today with profits put before people, a bit like The Beeching Cuts on the railway network in the 1960's.

I've little interest in today's big branded forecourts although I do like seeing older photographs of these sites as some of the brands carried have also either evolved or disappeared. However, I have no interest whatsoever in the supermarket forecourts and cannot remember the last time I purchased fuel from a Supermarket forecourt.

Many of these traditional sites became landmarks for me on family car journeys or trips to the airport during the late 1980's/early 1990's with some of these routes having changed as villages get bypassed. My mum worked as a petrol pump attendant back in the 1970's and my dad worked in a petrol station part time after joining the Police back in the 1960's. My School work experience back in October 1994 was at a village garage half way between where I lived as a child and to where I live today which had the vehicle service/repair workshop, car sales and fuel served to you by an attendant, I cannot say how much I enjoyed that week even more so as I got to serve fuel to some of the customers.

Today the site still stands although it has an alternative use and every time I pass the site I recall that work experience week which still has evidence of a filling station although the pumps went many years ago. I've always admired the attended service with many memories of returning home from the coast on a Sunday afternoon finding a little open aired fuel forecourt with my dad calling in for a fivers worth of Four Star, sometimes in the pouring rain.

Luckily Lincolnshire still has a few of these interesting forecourts trading today which still offer the attended service with a few in my neck of the woods so a fill up and a good chat are always on the menu. It's always worth a visit and usually worth a few photographs too with permission always obtained when I'm on private property. The bulk of my photographs are taken from public land which I'm happy to show my photography/chat to anybody that's interested, especially those garage owners I find myself visiting. I have a small selection of my photographs in a portfolio which lives in my car for anybody that's interested to see.

You will find I take numerous photographs of sites which is purely me wanting to capture as much detail as possible, for example the previous brand of fuel starting to show through the canopy paintwork or just basically the fact I might not see something of interest.

I do not own a big posh camera but just use my Samsung Galaxy phone which takes pretty decent photos.

I am delighted about the interest in this subject and really hope you enjoy looking through my photos, but PLEASE STOP POSTING THEM ON FACEBOOK, THEY'RE NOT YOUR PHOTO'S TO POST!

If you do wish to share or use any of the photos on my page, please just send me a message, I assure you there is a greater than strong chance I'll say yes, or you can contact me on 07753 346769 or the email address below

Thank you

Ian

iancalvert680@msn.com

Most of the photographs on here are taken by myself however I have also received some photos with people kind enough to allow me to share these on here so a huge thank you to all those involved.