These four cars are lined up at Rhinefield, the fine home of the Walker Munro family at Brockenhurst in the New Forest. The four cars shown are, from left to right: a 15 h.p. three-seater Napier (A-172 – Mrs Walker Munro’s own car); a 15-24 h.p. Napier brougham (A-174); a 30 h.p. six-cylinder Napier (A-171) and a 24 h.p. Napier limousine (A-175).
The Walker Munros were great motoring enthusiasts – in particular Mrs Walker Munro. The article in Car Illustrated tells us that her first car was a little 4½ h.p. De Dion voiturette followed by a Daimler shooting brake ‘of the old style’ – a car that still resided in the family garage at the time of the article. Then followed a 12 h.p. Gladiator, the 24 h.p. Napier limousine, the 15 h.p. Napier brougham and the 15 h.p. three-seat Napier. These cars were about to be joined by a 40 h.p. six-cylinder Napier ordered by Mrs Walker Munro, and a 60 h.p. six-cylinder Napier ordered by her husband.
The identification of these cars is, however, a little tenuous. The 30 h.p. is clearly correct, because it appears in another picture. The 24 h.p. limousine is almost certainly correct, because the car on the right is a limousine. But a brougham is normally a closed car, and both of the other two cars are open. We suggest that the car with the windscreen is the brougham, but we are not certain.
Photo courtesy of the Richard Roberts Archive.
Any other pictures of Walker-Munro vehicles, I’ve just purchased a model T first registered to Mrs W-M in 1927.
I am writing a history of the Walker-Munro family, any info on the car would be appreciated
Dave King
I’m trying to find it myself. Google OT5319. It’s a model T ton truck. Probably purchased for the estate. Although it’s uses could have been anything.