About us - Furrows history

The history of Furrows is an interesting one – in fact, the company has never been known by anyone of the name ‘Furrows’. It emerged out of the firm’s creation as Ford Tractor dealers in 1918 and described the basic business – Furrows, as in ploughing.

And so, to the very beginning of the company, and its predecessor.

Benbow House, which was the original home of Admiral Benbow, was purchased by Mr M.Davies in 1906, and with it, a change of name to ‘The Shrewsbury Garage’. Even today, Furrows’ premises on Harlescott Lane are known as The Shrewsbury Garage.

The garage began life as an agent for Swift, Sunbeam, Studebaker, Briton and Arrol Johnson cars. By 1913, however, Mr Davies ceased to offer Swift and Studebaker. Instead, he turned to De Dion, Darraq, Star, Maxwell, Marathon and Argylls.

It is worth noting that Mr Davies also operated his carriage-making company, Mountford, from the same site.

It was during this time that Mr Davies also began making the Shrewsbury bicycle.

In 1918, Cyril Harrison Watson acquired the premises and when granted a Ford franchise, he created Furrows Ltd. Remember that in those days, Ford also manufactured tractors. Hence the name.

Furrows remains a family business to this day, although we no longer sell tractors. We have expanded the vehicle business to include not only cars but trucks and commercials vehicles and finance. We offer a range of commercials to suit all needs.

We include accident repair centre, parts and service department, car hire and award-winning customer service.

Furrows stock the best vehicles at the most competitive prices with a commitment to give the customer the very best in service. Franchises now include Ford, KIA, Mazda and Skoda, with dealerships in Shrewsbury, Telford and Oswestry. 

The original Shrewsbury Garage was, however, best by problems, caused mainly by the nearby River Severn. Like much of the county town, the garage's location meant that in the days before flood barriers, there were regular soakings for both staff and vehicles alike.

There were few of the precautions that exist today, and people working at the garage simply had to make the best of a difficult situation.

Of course, the site on Coton Hill has changed hugely since Furrows moved into new garages and offices on Harlescott Lane, just a few miles away.

The big move was made on 25th October 2004, marking the end of just over 80 years at the site, which was sympathically converted into apartments soon afterwards. Take a look at our before and after' images below.