One of Cork's oldest motor dealerships and limited companies is donating its remarkable archive to Cork city, providing a fascinating insight into the commercial and social life of the city as transport evolved from horse-drawn carriages to motor cars.

The archive of Johnson & Perrott, one of Cork's great family-owned businesses which dates from 1861 when a city centre carriage-building business was acquired by James Johnson, includes company documents, contracts and advertisements, as well as 11 personal diaries and some 200 photographs, negatives and glass plates.

The donation also includes a fully restored James Johnson-built horse-drawn ‘ladies’ carriage, dating from the middle of the 19th century and which was used on the Wyndham estate in Castletownroche and then by the Daunt family in Myrtleville, as well as an original sign from the company’s ‘Nelson Place Carriage Works’ on what is now Emmet Place in the city centre.

And what’s even more remarkable is that many of the company's historical documents were almost ‘lost’ to history. They were discovered by a solicitor cleaning out a strong room who then contacted the company.

Mark Whitaker, CEO of the Johnson & Perrott Motor Dealership (JPMD), a direct descendant of James Johnson, said that discovery prompted him to donate all the material to the city archives, with the unanimous support and approval of his wider family.

“I am hugely sensitive to protecting our archive for the benefit of future generations who might like to research it,” he said.

“With the company having been established in 1810, and in our family’s ownership since 1861, Johnson & Perrott has evolved and grown with its native city.

You can read more at: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41090755.html.