Can you tell us a bit more about how you decided to get into upholstery?
I grew up with vintage cars, taken to various meets and being driven around by my Dad in an Austin 20 pick up and also the 1928 Alvis which we still have. It evolved into a hobby and it led me into doing something that wasn’t mechanical. We realised that there was a massive gap in the market and there weren’t that many trimmers. The trimmers that there are around had a long wait time. That was the main reason; an interest in cars, wanting to turn a hobby into a day job and doing something with my hands which I have always enjoyed doing.
You joined our Bicester Heritage location very early in its delivery, what attracted you to Bicester?
I joined Bicester Heritage ten years ago; I was number three on site. I’d already started playing around with upholstery, I had a conversation with Dan Geoghegan, (who I knew through the Alvis register), I thought that it sounded like a really good place to start as it was an amazing idea and it has turned out to be a great, thriving place to work.
You’re on your fourth expansion of premises at BH since you joined, is Building 102 your forever home for Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery?
Definitely! This is the right space. Moving can throw up other problems and it can take a while to recoup. It also has room to move and adapt to the environment/workshop that we need.
Do you have any apprentices working for Harry Fraser currently?
Cieran who was on an apprentice course. Unfortunately the HSA don’t currently offer an apprenticeship in trimming work, so it’s something we are working together on to try and provide. Cieran is a keen worker and has shown a big interest.
Sammy joined in 2021 with little experience and her skills, eye for detail and determination in learning the craft has been amazing. Andy, who came to us through Mission Motorsport is another keen hard worker who already had some knowledge working with leather and is now learning to use them in a different way. He has been with us for about a year working flexi days. We definitely need a course in this area.
What are the difficulties in working as a classic vehicle upholsterer? Are there any materials that are tricky to source?
One of the main materials that we have had issues with is traditional skin wadding, similar to cotton wool covered in a very light fabric on either side. Now, the closest we can get is felt which isn’t quite the same, but ultimately you can’t see much of a difference. It’s a little awkward to work with in some respects and easier in others. Vinyl’s, leathers you can generally source more readily.
Are you still seeing the same customers that you first worked for or even their cars, years on?
Yes, we do see a lot of our original customers, mainly as a lot of them are now friends or they have come along to one of the events on site. Then equally we do get new customers through the doors too, whether its word of mouth, on the Bicester Heritage website, interacting with our Instagram account @harryfraservehicleupholstery or visiting a Scramble.
How did you learn to work with the lesser used materials and tools like horse hair?
I’m mostly self-taught but there is a fantastic trimmer up in Yorkshire, who is a friend of Dad’s, and I got introduced to him. He is an expert at the traditional styles of deep and shallow buttoning and that did make a difference. I went and stayed with him and learnt a lot. We keep in contact and exchange techniques and styles of various cars.
You’ve worked with family members for a long time, is this important to you?
Yes they have all played a part at some stage, Dad used to do a lot of my carpentry work for me and I have gained a lot of my skills through him. Emily works on site at Motorspirit and Camilla has worked with me and more recently begun working with domestic upholstery. Abigail, my wife, has recently started to take on a larger role within the company, and the small blonde girl is our daughter Annabelle, who takes pride wearing our branding on Scramble days. So yes, we enjoy having family around us.
You are an avid beekeeper! Can you tell us a bit more?
We (my father in law, Tony and myself) have three apiaries spread through farmers fields around Stratton Audley. Bicester Heritage have bought a couple of hives from us which will be here by Flywheel. We are just letting them build up ready to make the transition. Then there will be Bicester Heritage honey in production! We sell our own, Stratton Audley Honey, at the Scrambles and I have some in the workshop too.
What work are you looking to focus on for the year ahead?
We have been in this building now for just over a year and half and we are expanding what we can offer to our customers. We are now consolidating the skills we have to make sure we don’t grow too quickly and lose the finer details in our work. The hardest thing is finding experienced trimmers. Generally, when you get to a certain stage, the majority of people decide to work for themselves! We are very lucky that the team are all as willing and hardworking as they are!
What work ethic do you value above all others and what do you hope that people who engage with you will take away with them?
An interest in what they are doing because you are automatically, going to push harder and work harder to get it right. Second to that is probably eye for detail. Concentrating and looking at the finer details is what makes the difference between a good job and an outstanding job.
What do you have in the stable? A fleet of vintage scooters by any chance? An Edwardian runabout?
We’ve got most of them up and running! It’s very difficult to keep everything going. The Overland was recently overhauled and is running beautifully at the moment. All the scooters, apart from one, are parked and up and running. There are rumours that there is going to be a motorised bicycle race at Flywheel...
What piece of advice would you give to any aspiring engineer, mechanic or enthusiast hoping to get into the historic motoring world?
Spend time looking at the details and working to the best of your ability. Fast is not always best.
Finally, can you give us some final words of wisdom and advice about business or life that you live by?
Enjoy yourself, otherwise what’s the point?!