Adam Purves

Adam Purves, the founder of the company, served his apprenticeship as a blacksmith at Lindean Smithy, near Selkirk and after working in Hawick and Galashiels he started on his own account at 20 Bank Street, Galashiels in 1879. Over the years the company developed into a garage and one of the first Borders 'hire cars' service. The bullnose Morris shown here was first sold by the company in 1926 and is part of our collection today. The thriving workshop and fuel stations are to this day one of the key strengths of the Purves' family company and Adam Purves operates fuel stations throughout the Borders, including the flagship site at Wilderhaugh. Always looking to offer the best service and embrace the latest technology, Adam Purves were pioneers in the fuel business as they introduced the first electric fuel pump back in 1936 replacing the traditional hand pump. Adam Purves also introduced a new concept to the Borders by opening the first self service filling station at Wilderhaugh back in the early eighties. Quickly Adam Purves auto experts became the local destination for buying cars and the car dealership soon expanded into a showroom based in the centre of Galashiels, on Market Street - below is a picture of the first Mini ever sold by Adam Purves in the borders. This car is often on display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and is part of our collection.