OUR STUDIO HAS HISTORY!
Emsworth is known for many things, but its connection to land-speed records and iconic engineering has recently been rediscovered at our studio, The Old Boathouse . This one-time garage has a very special past!

The boathouse was formerly owned by George Gray, a panelling expert from London who worked on Malcolm Campbell legendary Bluebird land-speed vehicles and the record breaking Railton Mobil Special, as well as creating the bodywork for the first Vanwall racing cars back in the 1950s. George’s talents also won him a contract to build Spitfire fuselages after the bombing of the factory in Southampton during World War Two, which he did at one of the many shadow factories set up along the south coast.

His notoriety continued and in 1972, all three land-speed vehicles were brought to Emsworth at the request of the Beaulieu Car Museum for restoration at George Gray’s garage, now run by Roy Parsons – the only remaining member of the original workshop team.

After months of restoration, these famous record holders were returned to the museum – but not without incident! Unfortunately the Bluebird’s straps broke free from its trailer, resulting in severe damage to the front. The team from Emsworth were therefore asked to spend the following months restoring the Bluebird at the museum, where it sits alongside the Sunbeam and Golden Arrow to this day.

The boathouse is now home to Zero West, our new British watch brand that pays homage to the past through beautifully engineered timepieces.