Category:Dennis Brothers

Dennis Brothers of Guildford (later Dennis Specialist Vehicles) was set up by John Dennis (1871–1939) and Raymond Dennis (1878–1939). Working in an ironmongers, John started making and selling bicycles, and set up his own business Universal Athletic Stores in 1895 selling sports goods and his "Speed King" bicycles. The bicycle range expanded to include tricycles and quadcycles, with third-party motors starting to be fitted to some models from 1898, and a car appearing circa 1900.

In 1903 the new company of Dennis Brothers patented a rear-axle worm-gear drive and started producing buses in their new purpose-built vehicle factory in Guildford, and the business soon started to focus on large heavy-duty vehicles, with domestic car production eventually being phased out completely.

The company continued building buses and lorries, and is probably best-recognised by the general public for their specialist fire engines and waste collection lorries, since these had the word "DENNIS" emblazoned across the wide front bonnet in raised bold silver block capital letters.

External links

• A Brief History of Dennis Bros of Guildford - 1895 to 2011, the Dennis Society (dennissociety.org.uk)
• Dennis Specialist Vehicles (wikipedia.org)