British Classic Car Graveyard, England

This British Classic Car Graveyard sat tucked away behind an abandoned farmhouse in the midlands of England. Cloaked by a thicket of trees, this photographer’s oasis was accessed by crawling through hawthorns and nettles. Sunbeams peak through the trees, casting just enough dappled light for moss to grow on the faded paintwork and tarnished chrome. These rusty old timers have lain hidden in this verdant glade for some twenty years since the previous owner passed away.

I explored this location several times during the summer of 2023. Sadly, all the cars have since been removed and the house re-occupied.

What cars can be found in this classic car graveyard?

1962–1967 Ford Anglia Super (123E)

The Ford Anglia Super (123E) was a popular small car in the UK and Europe. Even my mom proudly tells me she even owned one of these as her first car! The Super boasted a more luxurious interior than both the standard and Deluxe models and an eye-catching, contrasting-coloured roof. There were also more shiny chrome adornments on the bodywork, in the form of chrome bumper overriders and twin chrome side strips that also outlined the upper side of the headlights.

1969–1976 Mini Cooper Mark III

The Mini Cooper Mark III was a revision of the iconic Mini, which had a few revisions and upgrades compared to the original. Most noticeable were the larger doors and the adoption of concealed door hinges. Customer demand had led to the sliding windows being replaced with winding versions. The Mark III maintained the core Mini ideology: maximum fun and practicality inside a tiny package!

?1960s Austin/Morris Mini Pickup

This one was a new one for me; I didn’t know there were Mini pickups! This one appears to be either an Austin Mini Pick Up 1000 (1967-69) or perhaps a Morris Mini Pick Up 850 (1961-69). I think the colour is “Everglade Green (GN42)”, a colour used exclusively on the 1965–1969 Austin and Morris branded models. Then again, various models were produced right up until 1983 and I am sure there are some subtle differences I am not quite seeing!

1966 Citroen 2CV

A token French car to add into the mix! Fun fact, Citroën 2CV in French is called deux chevaux, or “two horses”. This was an economy car, produced between 1948 and 1990. The car was designed to be low-cost, with simple servicing and maintenance, as well as low fuel consumption. One feature of the 2CV was its long-travel suspension system, which gave it a very soft ride on the ubiquitous unpaved roads of rural France. The marketing team got a bit creative with this one and used an interesting, quaint example to demonstrate this. Various advertisements touted the Citroen 2CV’s ability to cross a freshly ploughed field with a basket full of eggs on the passenger’s seat without breaking them.

This car is probably the 1966 model, as it featured an additional window behind the passenger door.

1970s Bedford J1 Ambulance

This interesting vehicle is a Bedford van that has been converted into an ambulance. It was produced between 1971 and 1973, and may be one of only two in existence.

1974-1976 Ford Escort Mark II

The Ford Escort is a small family car, first rolling off the production line in 1968. The Ford Escort Mark II is a squarer redesign but has the same mechanical components, floorpan and core structure as the Mark I. These cars had some quirks, such as a stalk-mounted horn and glove compartments only available with higher-end models.

In 1977, the Escort received a major facelift, replacing the single-lettering Ford logo with the oval logo badge.

pre-1958 Bedford CA

The Bedford CA was a distinctive and iconic van produced between 1952 and 1969 by Bedford in Luton, England. Martin Walter, a coachbuilder based in Folkestone, frequently converted these vans into campervans known as Bedford Dormobiles.

Curved windscreens were expensive in the early 1950s; therefore, the early model Bedford CA had a “split-screen” windscreen. Around 1958, the design was changed to include a smaller unsplit windscreen.

1980s Ford Sierra 2.3 D L

Ford Europe produced and sold the Ford Sierra, a mid-size family car, from 1982 to 1993. It had a sleek aerodynamic design, producing a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over its predecessors. However, the bland styling was often a topic of criticism alongside the handling. The fuel-efficient 2.3-litre diesel engine was fuel-efficient, but also very noisy and lacked power. Overall, it did offer a comfortable ride and good performance, apparently!

1956–1959 Austin A35

The Austin A35, produced from 1956 to 1959, was a small, economical family car. It replaced the similar A30, featuring a more powerful 948cc and a larger rear window (which helped me tell them apart here). Other upgrades included replacing the semaphore turn-signal indicators with modern flashing lights mounted on the front and rear.

The end

With a few shots remaining on my film roll from my 2023 Baltics trip, a sunny day called to me to revisit this car graveyard. When I arrived, things were a little different. Signs of change, specifically the grounds of the abandoned house next door had been partially cleared. As I clicked through my last centimetres of film, I heard the yapping of a tiny dog. Soon after, accompanied by the whirring of a weed trimmer. I decided it was time to say farewell to the cars, somehow feeling that these would be my last photos here. Shortly after, the once-familiar collection of cars disappeared.

Bonus photos of these abandoned classic cars on analogue film

If you love film photography, I have also shot this location on 35mm and medium format!

• Lomography Metropolis 120 film, shot on a 1950s Kodak Duaflex II
• Film Washi X 35mm, shot on my beloved 1970s Zenit-E and Mir-1b (37mm) lens