Operation Matchbox Rescue! - Hoover 3236H

[matchboxpaul]

Hi everyone.

After a manic two weeks, I am finally able to update you all on a machine rescue that has been very close to my heart.

 

[matchboxpaul]

Below is the picture and a link to the thread that started it all off.

Can I take this opportunity early on to offer my thanks to Seamus for creating the thread and highlighting the existence of two wonderful machines from the 1970s, that were living a rather precarious existence.

Though both warrented efforts to save them, the Hoover in particular really set alarm bells ringing as this was the exact model of machine that I grew up with for the first 8 years of my life.

The Hoover 3236H Automatic De Luxe....

A couple of VERY painful to look at pics.........

Taken from a UK Urban Exploration website- they are in a derelict former school in Devon :(. Sorry I just had to share the pain !!!!!! Seamus

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[matchboxpaul]

....and the other machine in danger

The Hotpoint 1509/05 Automatic De Luxe....

 

[matchboxpaul]

As people will know, I have been banging on about Hoover 'Matchbox' machines ever since I arrived on the Discuss o' Mat scene, back in 2007.

From meeting up with people and taking thousands of pictures of their collections, it quickly became clear that this series of machines had somehow evaded the hands of preservationists.

Thanks to Mathew and Mike, amongst others, we have wonderful exapmles of the slanted and widebody keymatics preserved.

Then we have Mike's superb A3006 and A3008 machines from the mid 1970's, followed by the many 'New Magic' machines from the late 1970's e.g A3060.

For some reason there was a glaring gap in the preserved ranks of machines and that gap was those machines from the early 1970s.

 

[matchboxpaul]

From 1970 till 1974 Hoover front loader range consisted of three machines.

First off was the 3235 Automatic, which was produced in the early half panel version....

 

[matchboxpaul]

followed by the version 2 full panel machine...

 

[matchboxpaul]

Mid range machine was produced in the form of the 3236H, again in two versions, with the early machine being produced with red detailing...

 

[matchboxpaul]

and the later version with orange detailing...

 

[matchboxpaul]

Top of the range was the 3243H Keymatic De Luxe, again in two versions with early being red and late in orange.....

 

[matchboxpaul]

None of this series of machines had a safe example until Gary's (electron1100) grapevine worked wonders and came up trumps, with a stunning example of the top of the range early version 3243H Keymatic De Luxe.

I remember my excitement when i clicked on his thread and this machine is what greeted my gaze.

Finally there was a matchbox safe!

 

[matchboxpaul]

All then went quiet until Seamus discovered the photos and posted them in his 'A couple of VERY painful to look at pics.........' thread a couple of weeks back.

The pictures beat me over the head and it was a simple decision to try and do something about them.

Then followed three days of researching, e-mailing and some counselling sessions from Gary about the two bloomin rust buckets.

Firstly identified the school - Stoke Damerel High School for Girls, down in Plymouth - just over the water from Gary.

Second identify the status and ownership of the building. This was sorted relatively easily, but then the brick walls started being built in front of me.

Knew the owners name and a road where he might live, but no house name or number or contact detail.
Gary did some searching too but, like me, was coming up against brick walls.

Through chinwagging together it seemed to us both tht we could go no further as the leads had dried up.

 

[matchboxpaul]

Then came a bit of luck!

Basically Tom, the owner of www.whateversleft.co.uk joined Discuss o' Mat after receiving a large amount of triffic to his site from ours.

By getting touch with him, he was able to provide me with an e-mail address to a person who MIGHT be able to get in touch with the owner of the building.

Basically had Tom not joined up and provided this e-mail address, we could have moved on no further.

So thanks go to Tom as well, for replying so quickly to my e-mails and providing a magical e-mail address.

Whatevers Left

www.whateversleft.co.uk

 

[matchboxpaul]

Beverley

So, having an e-mail address, I took the plunge and e-mailed a total stranger, explaining the saga and hoping that I would be taken seriously.

The e-mail address was for a wonderful lady called Beverley, an ex-pupil of the school, who had been in touch with the owner before over arranging visits to the place for former puils and arranging reunions.

Thankfully she took me seriously, understood and appreciated what I was trying to do.

Over the next four or five days, she was to act as a go between, between myself and the owner, discussing what I wanted with him and feeding back his responses, before going back to him with information and requests from me.

To say she was patient was an understatement and I will always be appreciative of what she did, for a complete stranger.
Without the massive assistance of Beverley, in getting directly in touch with the owner and acting on my behalf, nothing more for the machines could/would have been done.

I will always be grateful for her help and, if you read this Beverley, many many many thanks for the time and effort you put into helping me.

Highest regards to you.

 

[matchboxpaul]

Agreement!

Finally a price was arrived at and the next headache was to arrange a trip to collect the two machines.

As such I took last Friday off work and drove down to Gary's on Thursday night - a long but strangely relaxing drive.

I wasnt counting my chickens yet though as, being a pessimist, I wouldnt be getting excited until I knew that the machines were safe and in mine and Gary's cars.

Thanks to Gary, for helping with the early reserach, putting me up for a night and helping me with the removal of the machines from the school.

 

[matchboxpaul]

Sorry for all the posts, some of which might be percieved as waffle, but this whole project turned into a right little saga and it is important for me to tell the story and thank everyone for their input and help.

So again thanks to Seamus, Gary, Tom, Beverley and the owner of Stoke Damerel High School.
Without all the assistance you gave me, the pictures that follow would not have been possible.

Paul

 

[matchboxpaul]

Here we go....

Friday dawned a lovely bright day and myself and Gary rolled up outside the spectacular building, to be met by the owner and escorted inside....

 

[matchboxpaul]

the schools name...

 

[matchboxpaul]

They had to be on the top floor!

We went right to the top floor, up six flights of stairs, turned right and were confronted by these....

 

[matchboxpaul]

I have to say that on seeing them it was initial excitement, quickly followed by 'what the hell have I done!'.

Neither were tidy, thanks to the local scum smashing all the windows in the building (which the owner is repairing). The years of hot and cold, dry and damp conditions, over the years, had taken their toll on both them.

To what extent will become apparrent in the rest of the thread...