James & Browne Owners Group

James & Browne were automobile manufacturers, based in Hammersmith, London between 1898 and 1910.

The James & Browne factory was located at the Chiswick end of King's Street in West London, and there was a car showroom on Oxford Street.

The early cars had an unusual engine layout with the flywheel between the cylinders. The engines were mid mounted in the chassis and the cylinders were horizontal. Drive was to the rear wheels via a 4 speed gearbox and chain. The gearbox is in 2 parts, that are linked by a connecting rod. The left containing 2nd and 4th gear, and the right 1st, 3rd and reverse.

The 2 cylinder engine is rated at 9 HP, and is just over 2.5 litres in size. A total loss oil system is used on the car, lubricating 6 main oilways. James & Browne also launched a 4 cylinder version (16 HP), of a similar design to the horizontal 2 cylinder engine.

In 1906 a vertical engined car was introduced known as the Vertex and available as either a 20hp four or 30/40hp six cylinder.

Only two of their cars are known to have survived. One was built in 1902 and the other in 1904. The 1902 model has belonged to the students of the City & Guilds College Union (Engineering Faculty of Imperial College) since 1934.

The 1904 has the following history.

The first owner of the car was The Reverend Dr. John Darlington, the vicar of St. Mark's Church, Kennington in London, who also owned a house in Curry Rivel, near Taunton in Somerset. The Reverend had originally owned a Peugeot which had badly let him down in 1905, and as a friend of his had a reliable two cylinder James & Browne car he visited the Showroom in Oxford Street and asked to buy a car "like the one my friend owns" .

Mr. Browne remembered this visit as he had to advise Dr. Darlington that the Company had ceased making two cylinder models in 1904, but he could offer Dr. Darlington a new four cylinder 1905 model. Dr. Darlington was adamant that he wanted a two cylinder car, so it was arranged that an unused two cylinder engine, gearbox and transmission from the workshop be fitted into a compatible spare chassis, but with a later model body designed for the four cylinder car.

Mr. Ernest Proctor, who was employed at the Westcroft Works, was given the job of assembling this hybrid car which comprised a very early two cylinder engine - number 30 - of 1901 or 1902 vintage, a 1904 chassis - number 126, and a body destined for four cylinder car number 156.