“Macdonald Coussens, Motor Engineer”, is first listed in the trade directories in 1938, as operating from ‘Sweet Briar Cottage’, Ninfield Road. By the 1950s, the building adjoining the cottage is listed as “Mount Pleasant Garage”. By 1962, the proprietors of the garage are given as “M. Coussens & Son” and, in 1972 they were Peugeot and Citroen main dealers. In the following year, 1973, the owners are given as Marshalls UK Ltd.
Marshalls began in Cambridge, in 1909, and, over the years grew larger and expanded into various other fields creating two airfields in Cambridge in the 1930s and getting involved in the war effort. Today, it is a very large Company and “Marshall Aerospace” is involved in space technology.
No record has been found (as yet) on when the garage business in Bexhill was sold on.
The MOT centre to south-east side of the site has been owned by David and Hazel Hanley since 1992.
The following image shows an aerial view of Mount Pleasant Garage, Ninfield Road, in the late 1940s. Note the elaborate gardens and obvious link to “Sweetbriar Cottage” to the right, the home of Macdonald Coussens. [The information and photograph is shown with the courtesy of Mr & Mrs Hanley, Mount Pleasant MOT Centre.]
