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 CHRIS NELDER

Born: Brushford, Somerset, 1934
Lived: Brushford, Brompton Regis, Dulverton
Recording made: 2002
Length of recording: 3 hrs 44 mins

To read a summary of the contents of the oral history recordings click CD1, CD2, CD3 or CD4.

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Chris Nelder's great grandfather came to the Carnarvon Arms Hotel in 1874. When Chris was born his uncle was running the hotel and his father the small farm attached to it. His father subsequently became a partner in the Carnarvon Arms Garage. His mother was Swiss, and had been an au pair at the vicarage.

He joined his father in the business after national service, where he learnt engineering. They did repairs and ran taxis and transport trucks. After his father died he took up banger racing and carried on at the garage until, tired of working on other people's cars, he moved to Dulverton and set up a garden machinery business.

He goes rallying in his 1936 Austin 12 and is chairman of the town council and civic society. In spite of plans to cut back, he is still at the beck and call of many. That's just part of life, he says, that's what he does.