Clark, Terry – Grantham’s master car-breaker

Terence Clark (b 1943)

Terry was born in Grantham in April 1943 to Harold and Doris. Harold worked as a coppersmith at Aveling Barfords.

The family lived on Walton Gardens.

He went to Huntingtower Road Infants School, Spitalgate Boys and St Wulframs before going to Huntingtower Senior School.

After leaving School Terry went to work at Parkers Bakery in Great Gonerby, working in the bakehouse and delivering the bread. From here he spent some time working on the Grantham Bypass for Carvers Bridge Builders of Stockport. He started as a tea boy and ended up driving the pickup trucks.

 After this Terry took on a window cleaning round and also sold logs during the winter period.

A chance encounter with a chap who was breaking cars on the allotments where The Range is now situated, led to Terry entering the scrap business. The chap who was working at Gonerby Hill Foot told him ” There’s more money in breaking cars than there is in window cleaning!”

Terry rented some land from Philip Gibbins who owned an iron Foundry on Springfield Road and began collecting and breaking scrap vehicles.

When Caddy Castings took over the foundry Terry moved to a site on East Street.

Eventually he rented a plot of land on Gorse Lane from Mr & Mrs Garrill. After some time he was able to buy the plot and ran his scrap yard from here for over fifty years.

He held the council contract for collecting abandoned vehicles for nearly 40 years and people travelled from all over the world to buy spare parts.

Terry employed his brother Jeff, friend Nigel and in 1985, Paul, Terry’s eldest son joined the business. In later years Alan and Simon helped out in the yard.

In 2017 Terry decided the time was right to retire and the business closed its gates for one last time. Over the years between 75-80,000 vehicles were disposed of on the premises.

Terry is married to Sue who looked after all of the business accounts and paperwork. Terry says that without Sue, the business wouldn’t have been the success that it was. They also have another son, Andy, who didn’t go into the family business, instead pursuing a career in the funeral profession.