Rolls100 - Commemorating 100 years of the death of Rt. Hon. Charles S. Rolls

Charlie Rolls: The Musical

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:41:33 +0000

Prior to his death at the age of 33, Rolls had already had a busy life as a sportsman on bicycles, balloons, aeroplanes and cars, or ‘autocars’ as they were then called. He had also played a pivotal role in forming one of this country’s great companies. The Rolls’ family seat was at The Hendre just outside Monmouth.

Colin Tully, who lives very close to The Hendre, has composed a witty, light-hearted and entertaining musical about Charlie’s life and his amazing exploits, including his partnership with Henry Royce. Colin, who is best known for writing the soundtrack to the classic film Gregory’s Girl, has written for many years in various different styles including for his celtic jazz group Sensorium. His latest work is packed full of beautifully-crafted tuneful songs which no doubt will stand the test of time just like Charlie’s autocars!

This is a production featuring many performers of all ages living locally and directed by Robin Tebbutt, who was previously staff director both at Welsh National Opera and at Glyndebourne. The music is directed by Andrew Greenwood, who regularly conducts performances at the Welsh National Opera and is artistic director of the Buxton Festival.

Charlie Rolls: The Musical will be performed at the Savoy Theatre, Monmouth on August 12 and 13 at 7.30pm.

Please check www.monmouthsavoy.co.uk for details

Inspiration for the Spirit of Ecstasy.

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:45:42 +0000

After all these years it has been revealed that the inspiration for the Rolls-Royce flying lady was the lover of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, Eleanor Thornton, his personal assistant.

According to the present Lord Montagu, his mother knew about the affair and condoned it.

Lord Montagu was friendly with the managing director of Rolls-Royce and together they decided that a small statuette was needed to help brand the marque, which is what happened in 1911.

Unfortunately, several years later , when Lord Montagu and Eleanor were travelling on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean in 1916, the ship was hit by a torpedo from a German submarine, which wrecked the ship.

Montagu survived but the body of his lover was never found. However, she can now be remembered by those who are aware of the story.

Bournemouth 12th July 1910

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:47:04 +0000

Charles Rolls made his last flight at the Bournemouth International Aviation Meeting which was to take place between 10 and 16th July at the aerodrome. He flew a French-built Wright plane with a modified tailplane, which broke off, causing the plane to dive vertically from a height of about 80 feet. Rolls was thrown out and not trapped in the wreckage. He was found still alive but with obvious serious injuries to his head and upper body. Two doctors arrived almost immediately by he died within minutes.

Flight magazine wrote.

..poor Charles Rolls breathed his last as he lay there on the green grass by the debris of his machine, surrounded by a cordon of saddened friends.

Rolls starts to fly aeroplanes 1909

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:46:17 +0000

Following his meeting with the Wrights brothers, Rolls became eager to learn to fly and to buy one their now-famous planes, which was difficult because of patents that were being discussed with Britain. When the Wright brothers did, eventually, come to Britain in May 1909 to discuss the building of their machines with the government and businessmen, Rolls accompanied them and their sister, Katherine, throughout their three day stay and even drove Orville Wright to the Aero Club at Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey in a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. During the journey he expressed his desire to Orville of learning to fly and orville Wright suggested that Rolls do as the brothers had done and learn to fly by first training on a glider. Rolls immediately ordered a glider from Shorts brothers, who had constructed the first aircraft factory in Britain at land adjacent to the Aero Club at Leysdown..

The Aero Club headquarters Leysdown 4th May 1909

Left to Right (Back Row)
JDF Andrews owner of leysdown, Oswald Short, Horace Short, Eustace Short, Francis McClean, Griffith Brewer, Frank Butler, WJS Lockyer, Warwick Wright

Left to Right (Front Row)
JTC Moore-Brabazon, Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright Hon. Charles Rolls

Rolls meets the Wright brothers 1906

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:43:54 +0000

Rolls went to the USA in 1906 to exhibit the Rolls-Royce cars at the New York Motor Show. While he was there attended an exhibition organised by the Aero Club of America. and was introduced to the Wright brothers by Patrick Alexander who was a member of the Aero Club. Orville and Wilbur were two Americans who are generally creditedwith inventing and building the world’s first successful aeroplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. When Rolls met them the brothers were still unwilling to give public demonstrations of their machines, so he was unable to witness what they did first hand; however, he was considerably impressed by what others, who had witnessed the brothers fly, could tell him.

1904 Rolls-Royce 10hp

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:43:11 +0000

This was one of the best cars in the world at the time, and it is still one of the most expensive, after Bonhams sold it for $7.3m in London in 2007.

Ballooning

admin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:20:25 +0000

About to take off

Rolls was a pioneer aviator and his interest in aviation began, initially, by flying balloons, both gas and hot air, and he made over 170 ascents, even taking his mother with him on some ascents..
Throughout the year of 2010 there will be ascents from the places in Monmouth where Rolls flew from.

The Rolls Exhibition at Monmouth’s Nelson Museum & Local History Centre

admin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:17:16 +0000

Monmouth’s town museum will be staging a special exhibition to mark the centenary of Charles Rolls’ death. Based upon the extensive collection of Rolls family material in the museum, the exhibition of photographs, memorabilia and documents will run from late January 2010 until the end of July 2010.

As well as dealing with Charles Rolls’ life, achievements and legacy, the exhibition will also look at his family and their involvement with the history of Monmouth.

Thanks to generous funding from Rolls-Royce plc, the museum is planning a programme of formal and informal learning activities from September 2009, using the Rolls story as the launch-pad to pursue historical, technological and skills-based themes

Taking Off

For further information contact Andrew Helme; andrewhelme@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Rolls Meets Royce

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:07:01 +0000

Henry Royce was a miller’s son from Huntingdonshire who had founded his own manufacturing company in 1884 in the Manchester district of Hulme, making domestic electrical fittings.

In the 1890s, he diversified into electric cranes and by the beginning of the 20th century Royce had started to, build motor cars simply out of interest in a corner of the Hulme workshop. One of the directors of his company, Henry Edmunds, bought one of the cars and was so impressed that he mentioned it to a friend, Charles Rolls, who ran a car showroom in London.

Rolls and Royce arranged to meet at the Midland Hotel in Manchester in May 1904, where they agreed that Royce would produce the cars and then sell them exclusively through Rolls’ showroom.

By 1906, business was so good that they decided to into manufacture cars together in association with Rolls’ partner, Claude Johnson, and they established the Rolls-Royce company.

Charles Rolls, the Engineer

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:58:52 +0000

For those who think that Rolls was simply the front-man to Royce’s practical-hands-on knowledge, they would be quite wrong. Rolls attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied Mechanical and Applied Science and because of his fascination with engines, he was nicknamed Dirty Rolls.

When he was eighteen in 1896, he went to Paris to purchase his first car, a Peugeot Phaeton, and at the same time he joined the Automobile Club of France.

It is thought that his Peugeot was the first car based in Cambridge, and one of the first three cars owned in Wales. Rolls was a founding member of the Automobile Club of Great Britain.