Hello everyone, I had the pleasure to visit Brownchurch and meet Steve in person, collect some parts and get a few history lessons as well as learn about the bussiness that was, and is now Brownchurch. The company is "no longer" as we have all heard by now and it certainly could no longer be found at either of the central London addresses stamped on my roofrack or on my own BC brush guard. The current version of brownchurch still exists in a little black trailer in the driveway of their family home. (pictures in another thread)
It is just Steve and his wife who work there now and as they told me, they are more than busy with all the normal service work he does in the workshop next door, as well as the new parts they are receiving more and more requests for (Like this thread). As we talked we leaned against a pallet of new roof racks, recently constructed being shipped off to an aftermarket reseller that converts Defenders into livable spaces. He still makes all the parts (ok, not tents anymore, and hasn't made some parts in a few years), just in batches or in grouped production runs as the volume and demand just isn't what it used to be. I understood that he also runs a garage servicing/ restoring and rebuilding all makes and types of landys and has a few amazing pieces himself (WOW...)
He told me that in their prime of the late 80's-90's the company had over 500+ people working for the company. They manufactured parts directly for LR at the time and it was the go to stop for overland or accessories for your land rover (roof tents, light guards, racks and all). Mililtary contracts and almost a part in every defender that deployed overseas, business was good then. In 2016 with the defender still being produced for a short time longer, they were making 43-45 roof racks a week..(down from twice that in the decades before) and when that production slowed to 2-3 racks per week and with their London land lord looking to do something else with the lease on the workshop and bussiness address, they decided to close their doors and move what they had "home" ending brownchurch as we all knew it, and closing the doors.
Fast forward to today and they still get requests for parts even if they thought they got out of that business. They still ship all over the world and when they have a decent amount to make a production run, they make it and ship it. He did say that was no problem for them. He also said to me unsolicited, He isn't "quite sure why theres so many requests for the camel trophy brush guards,.. Esspecially from the States. " you see, in the UK and worse in Europe you cannot run a brush guard like this. (there are loop holes, historic, 30+ years old.. etc.. ) but simply put, It's illeagal. So for him there was no purpose to make them anymore, so they stopped those as well. He did ask me why we (Americans) like them so much. I shared my theory that it is due to Camel trophy capturing all our imaginations and for some of us the first time really seeing a Land Rover or Defender, and that brush guard is an Iconic piece of it. He had thought it was also Illeagal to have them in the USA and thus anyone ordering them was only asking for trouble. I explained that unlike the UK or Europe, or rather in comparison we essentially have no laws or rules on this subject. When you can bolt the equivelent weight of a defender in steel to the front of your dodge ram and drive around.. I mean a camel trophy brush guard is more like a mosquito swatter.
We talked some more about the camel spec versus the other styles they made that were similar. The camel bars were made from 10 guage tubing and the others made from 12. The camels had tabs for the lights, radio, limb risers and two tabs on the back for looping the winch cable in a figure 8 pattern to save from winding it in each time.
The origin of the bar came from the success of the series landys and Steve being a young engineer in the company was tasked with making a new bar for the new land rover 90 and 110. He said the new land rover deserved something new and Brownchurch wanted to make something as robust as they had for the series but up beat and modern. The first designs had a bar that came around the side of the wing to protect it but they figured it would cause too much damage to the wing when it bent and then pushed into the wing damaging it.
So the first design came out like this one, designed to snuggly fit a winch underneath and two driving lights if necessary, as well cut back for use with AC. it was offered with Mesh, Horizontals or no mesh around the lights. or a top bar that went as high as the bonnet. The camel bar obviously borrowed from this and changed design a bit in the center to accomodate the taller Warn winch (I forgot the name he told, but you know the one) and was built from a higher guage steel with no cut outs for AC grill.
Talking more with Steve he spoke a lot about how the volume of business that was made with LR directly, but as well the great relationship with Rovers North in the past. He did tell me that someone he didn't know as well from RN contacted him from there and that he wasn't sure if the order was serious, but he needed to pull his finger out and get going on them (translation from UK english to American English, is : Shit, I've been to busy and If it really is serious I need to get that going, but should be easy, but I've let this one slide too far!)
The short version of this is that Steve is British and an engineer. As well semi-retired (at least as brownchurch is concerned). He's lived the camel trophy brush guard craze as it was his design and isn't aware of the cult following it may have created decades on. What parts he makes now isn't for the money, (yes money is always good, but not the motivating part). I think if we want his help in having him do a production run or in producing these bars, its certainly possible, but it might take some small relationship building and a few phone calls. I don't mean to speak for him in any way. I had a brilliant but short visit talking with him and his wife. But I see all this is as a hobby for him at this point and although we (Americans and Brits) speak the same language, we actually don't at all.
Brownchurch is a very small operation and the UK came to a stand still production wise compared to the US with Covid (only recently reopening). I think with some nurture, patience and some phone calls, this is still a go. At no point anywhere in the conversation, even when asked directly about the brush guards was there doubt it couldnt be done. Roof top tents might be another story though..
Maybe this is helpful, maybe it wasn't. For me I am happy to help where I can.
