Door Industry Journal - Summer 2021

47 THE door industry journal summer 2021 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Domestic Garage Doors Historical Garador Adverts Tell Story of a Different Time Garador has a long history of manufacturing garage doors, with over 70 years in the industry and a long line of door models that stretches across the decades right the way back to 1950 when the first Mk 1 up & over garage door was produced. Looking back through the archives at Garador, there are some interesting adverts and brochures that tell a story of a garage door produced during a different time. In the 1950s, the garage door market didn’t exist in the same way that we know it today. The sales team had to convince architects, builders and local authorities that the motor car would become the most prevalent form of transport and that there would be demand for domestic garages and of course garage doors, to store motor cars. Garador helped lay the groundwork for what is now the modern-day garage door market. By the early 1960s, the company had transformed into Great Britain’s leading post-war garage door manufacturer. Early Mk 1 and Mk 2 garage doors were manufactured from either steel or aluminium depending on the availability of materials at the time. The Mk 1 was available in just one horizontal swage design; a far cry from today’s extensive choice of over 60 door designs, colour permutations and materials. The Mk 2, which was introduced in the early 1960s was an up & over canopy garage door which utilised a counterbalance weight system. As shown in one of the early Garador print adverts from August 1962, it cost as little as 15 pounds sterling and 10 shillings, showing how much prices have changed with inflation over the years. In the late 1960s, after extensive testing and development by the engineering team, a new model was finally launched in the form of the Mk 3. It was a further improvement on the previous range of Mk 1 and Mk 2 models and it utilised a totally enclosed counterbalance spring system located behind the lintel. The Mk 3 saw a move away from the counterbalance weight system with a steel spring-based lifting gear and a more competitive price of just 14 pounds sterling. Garage door manufacturers have come and gone over the years and so it is a real testament to Garador’s innovation and persistence that they have continued to be successful over the years. Today, Garador operates from a modern purpose-built production facility located in Yeovil, Somerset, just a few miles away from its early beginnings at Westland Engineers Limited over 70 years ago. Find out more about the current Garador range by visiting www.garador.co.uk or calling 01935 443722. The Garador MK. 2 The Garador MK. 1 The Garador MK. 3