The house where Jenks grew up

23e Heure · Post by **23e Heure** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 9:49 am

25 yrs ago I bought my first flat, in Forest Hill, South East London.

I moved in with my collection of car books old and new, and 2 sets of Motor Sport magazine, spanning the late 50s to early 90s.
Having many years earlier found my hero in DSJ, I read and re-read his Contintental Notes and Letters From Europe columns in that flat, saving for my first 911, and planning for the long road trips to historic circuits that I would undertake in it.

A house a few doors up from my flat there on Devonshire Road helped to fuel my imagination.
It is one of "those" houses: clearly owned by a car collector, and a by an eccentric one too by the general look of the place.
It has a garage attached to the side, oil cans and enamel signs, and of course a couple of interesting looking cars out front, always covered.

From the outline I know one of those cars was clearly a 356, I always wondered what model it was, and in what condition.
I must have walked past there a thousand times to and from the station but I never saw under that cover.

23e Heure · Post by **23e Heure** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 9:51 am

Fast forward to 25 yrs later, and I’m now living a few miles from Forest Hill. but still regularly cycling up Devonshire Road on my bike.
And every time I pass I still wonder about that 356.

Until last weekend. On Sunday evening, for the first time, at last the cover was off.

So of course I stopped to have a nose. and take a snap:

23e Heure · Post by **23e Heure** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:07 am

A few years after I moved into my flat up the road, I bought a copy of "Jenks: A Passion For Motorsport".

Published after his death ('96), as well as a selection of Jenk's own writing, it also contains a number of short pieces written by some of Jenks' friends, celebrating his life.
I already knew a bit about Jenk's early years, and that he'd grown up in SE London, but when I read Doug Nye's piece in that book I jumped when I read that from his birth in 1920 until he left home in 1941, he lived in the family home on... Devonshire Road!

As unresolved questions tend to do, the coincidence firmly planted itself in the back of my mind, and gently ate away at me. Which number did he live at??

At one point I was going on about it so much my wife tried contacting Lewisham council to see if she could find out.
I somehow never got around to going up to the council offices until, when I did, GDPR rules meant it was no longer an option to look up personal data like that.

Although I moved house years ago, I still cycle up that road a few times a week, and every time I do my mind goes back to the mystery.
For over 20yrs I’ve had the silly thought “Imagine if Jenks house were the same house as the mystery 356 house”. Nah, too much of a coincidence!

23e Heure · Post by **23e Heure** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:12 am

Back to last Sunday: When I finally saw the cover off the 356, I simply had to go knock at the front door.
Just to say “I’ve been waiting for decades to see the car without the cover!”.

(So, yes, of course you are way ahead of me by now...)

When I open the gate and walk up the path to ring the bell I see a plaque:

23e Heure · Post by **23e Heure** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:17 am

I ended up spending nearly an hour and a half talking to the owners.

They are in their late 70s, bought the house 40 years ago, he has worked on old cars all his life, was an avid Motor Sport reader, and always loved Jenks’ writing...

…but never knew that it was Jenks' childhood home until 5 years ago, when Jenks’ (elderly) niece knocked on the door and said “This was my dad's family home, he grew up here before and during the war. His brother was a journalist.”

They'd lived there all that time, are long term owners of a silver 356, yet never knew that DSJ spent the first 20 odd years of his life under the same roof.

So proud are they, that they've now named the house after him:

23e Heure · Post by **23e Heure** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:21 am

They mentioned that they want a "proper" metal blue plaque to replace the small plastic one they currently have.

I think the right thing to do is for me to offer to buy them that new plaque, now that my mind can rest over the question of where Jenks lived.

Oh... and it would allow me to discretely correct the typos and wrong year in their current plaque

Maybe I should offer them first refusal on the 356 too. It's not Jenks' own old car, but somehow it's still special!

Lightweight_911 · Post by **Lightweight_911** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:24 am

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What a great story James - & what an amazing coincidence !!

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Post by **Bootsy** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:35 am

Superb story

210bhp · Post by **210bhp** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:41 am

Amazing!

Thanks for sharing both the story and photos James.
A written offer for first refusal on that 356 would be the gentlemanly way forward I’d say.

Regards
Mike

KS · Post by KS » Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:03 am

Wow! Fantastic story! I have a bunch of Jenks stories as he lived near me when I was growing up, mum knew him through work at the RAE Farnborough and we later ended up living in the same village. Maybe we should start a Jenks thread rather than dilute this one. Fascinating guy but definitely one of a kind in so many ways...

jwhillracer · Post by **jwhillracer** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:01 pm

What a great story! I’ve sent the link to my friend Peter Isaac, who was a close friend of Jenks.

JW

Ollie · Post by **Ollie** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:20 pm

What a great storey!!!

Slope330 · Post by **Slope330** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:57 pm

Just luv it………

rhd racer · Post by **rhd racer** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:59 pm

Brilliant James, thank you. I think a 356 would be a welcome addition to your stable, and a 2nd ‘SC’ engine to boot!

Cheers
Wayne

yoda · Post by **yoda** » Tue Aug 17, 2021 2:30 pm

Top stalking James, what a fabulous story!

DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker