Lacre 'L' Type Road Sweeper

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The Lacre Motor Car Company was established in 1902 in Long Acre, Covent Garden, London (the Lacre name being a contraction of Long Acre).

The initial intention was to build cars, however by 1904 a 25cwt 16hp van had been developed and thereafter the company became known for its range of commercial vehicles. In 1910 Lacre moved to a new factory in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, and built a range of omnibus chassis from a 12-seater charabanc to a 3-ton chassis for double-deckers.

Some Lacre machines were used in France during WW1, however, following the conflict, the company diversified to produce a range of municipal motor vehicles including tipping wagons, high-access towerwagons, gulley emptying and cleaning machines and road sweeping machines.

The Lacre ‘L’ Type road sweeper was probably its best-known product, designed by JS Drewry in 1912. Lacre claimed in one of their brochures that: “There are more Lacre sweepers in service in great Britain than all other makes put together, this supremacy having been achieved owing to the remarkable economy and efficiency of Lacres.”

The ‘L’ Type was a three-wheeled machine weighing 1 ton 13cwt, the two front wheels fitted with single solid rubber tyres, the rear wheel fitted with twin solid rubber tyres. Carried amidships below the body was a brush, mounted in a semi-circular brush guard, which could be rotated by a shaft driven from a separate gearbox via a chain-drive enclosed in a steel casing.

According to Lacre “suspension of the brush provides an exceptionally clean and wide sweep, and the position of the driver behind the brush enables him to easily view the operation”. Spraying gear was also fitted to clean the road surface, water being fed by gear-driven pump from a 100 gallon water tank in the front of the chassis. The brush could be exchanged for a scraper, squeegee or snow plough.

It was powered by a water-cooled 2,687cc 4-cylinder Dorman engine via a leather-faced cone clutch to the gearbox which provided two forward speeds and a reverse gear resulting in an operating speed of between 5 and 10mph with a top speed of 20mph. The final drive was by roller chain to the rear wheel.

The Lacre Road Sweepers were much appreciated by pedestrians and other road users in an age when horse-drawn transport was still making a considerable mark on the highways and byways of Britain! The company was wound up in 1928, but was then re-launched as Lacre Lorries Ltd with new works at Welwyn Garden City.

This 1920 ‘L’ Type was in use with Motherwell and Wishaw Council in Scotland from 1920 until 1952. It was donated to the Stondon Collection by its previous owner in 2003 who stated: “The engine, gearbox and major mechanical components are all the original parts having been carefully maintained over the years avoiding the need for much restoration beyond paintwork and polish. This sweeper has taken part in the HCVC London to Brighton Run winning many Concours d’Elegance over the years for the pristine condition in which it has been maintained”.

He goes on to quote chassis number RC527 and engine number 50727 but an Experian check for registration number 800 WJH states the numbers shown above. In the absence of a V5 for this vehicle, bidders are advised to make their own judgement about this anomaly.

This lot will be available to view at Stondon Museum (SG16 6JN) on Friday 5th June. Although this vehicle will be offered for sale at Brightwells (HR6 0DE) it will need to be collected from Stondon.

Due to where the vehicle is currently stored, collection may not be possible for up to 4 weeks after the auction.