Bedford Know Howe

Nick Howe’s fabulous Bedford TK restoration has taken nine years to complete, and is now correct in every detail and a superb reminder of a similar Bedford operated by the Howe family firm in the late 1960s. Peter Davies tells the story.

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Nick Howe has amassed an archive of historic information on his family’s transport business. His comprehensive collection of documents and photographs provides a fascinating insight into the Howe family’s involvement in road haulage which began 110 years ago. The present day operations of A Howe & Sons may be small compared with those of the ‘sixties and ‘seventies but changing patterns of work over the years have led the company to explore other opportunities and to diversify into more long term investments.

Not content with documents and photographs, Nick has also set about recreating some of the family’s classic lorries that he remembers from his childhood. Some CVC readers will recall the splendid Bedford KM that was featured back in March 2007. Now that KM has been joined by an equally well restored TK of a type once operated by the company.

Nick, now 53, grew up with Bedfords since they formed a major part of the Howe fleet until the early eighties when the firm switched to buying Volvos. A Howe & Sons was formed in 1945 by Nick’s grandfather, Albert Howe, to specialise in brick haulage for the local Lincoln Brick Co. Albert’s two sons, Dennis and Abbey, later joined the company. Nick’s father, Dennis, headed the operations until his death in 1992 when responsibility passed to Nick who was then just 29 years old.