After more than 60 years of service to motorists on the Isle of Wight, Chale Service Station is to close its doors next week. Founded by Roy Sheath and his late wife Hazel in 1960, the garage has been a part of village life ever since with Kevin Sheath and Diane Lake now running the business day to day. But the time has come for the Sheath family to retire from the motor industry, an industry which has changed dramatically over the past 6 decades. When the garage opened drivers were still learning the rules of the road in a Morris Minor – a very different vehicle to today’s modern machines. The closure of Chale Service Station and its Gulf fuel station will certainly leave a hole in the community, with the nearest petrol and diesel pumps located 2 villages away in Whitwell. The doors will close for the final time next Friday (28th June). It’s unknown what will become of the site next to the Wight Mouse Inn.
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I went in there in 1980’s i had a slow puncher it cost me a £1 to pump it up total rip-off and i had to pay first
Slow puncher? Not very good in the ring then
They run a business,what do you expect!
You must really hold a grudge. 40 years ago you spent £1 and you still hurt over it.
You could, of course, have refused to pay the fee and carry on driving without the extra air. Nobody forced you to pay. The garage is under no obligation to help and if they assisted you with pumping up the tyre then that’s chargeable labour. The same if you had gone in with a missing wiper or blown lamp bulb. They tell you the cost you decide whether you want the service. A pointless comment and pathetic gripe to be honest.
Didn’t even know it was still open always look run down and odd… the picture must be an old one
Very sad news, always had excellent service there.
Wish them well in their retirement.
Sad loss of a great garage and they always did a good job.
Always had E5 on tap for motorcycles and older cars, I hope someone picks up the business.
Soon be more houses, as the indigenous escapee’s try to find a place where they can feel at home in their own country.
Vote for Reform, as less people filling mainland UK, eases the pressure on people then moving here.
Yet another tenuous link between a local news story and Deform party. Oh dear.
Change the record, you’re really quite boring
Yes as it becomes impossible for the ‘boring truth’ to be refuted, then all you are left with is insults to try to discredit anything you ‘disagree’ but can’t back up your non thoughts with.
Whats up Mike, got a buggy full in the family. Don’t stress, too many have now, bet the fathers long gone though.
At least some of them are great mechanics and want to work hard. Unlike some reform spongers
Sad to see it go Roy is a lovely chap and I no Roy from autograss racing back in the when it was on the island great racer and a real gentleman
So sad, great old school service, thorough and friendly, we’ve been using this garage for years, a very sad loss for us and the local community.
Very sad to see the garage close but I wish the Sheath family all the best for their retirement / next venture
It is a shame to see all these old businesses closing their doors. Although stating the next garage is two towns away can be misleading to anyone not on the island… it’s barely an 8 minute drive from chale to Whitwell.
It is a bloody long way if you have run out of petrol!!
Keep it topped up then !
When the Undercliff Road closed 21 years ago,
this Garage done well to stay open until 2024
Enjoy your well earned retirement.
Such a shame. They were brilliant with MOT’s and whenever anything needed fixing with my car.
Really sad news. When I reversed my first car into a gate post in the mid seventies they bashed it out, added a bit of filler and a quick respray – good as new. I think it cost £6.
Amazing family! Always will remember them fondly. Filled my tank often going backwards and forwards from Ventnor to my SeaSalt Farm and they looked after my Landy beautifully.