A Brush with History

The year is 1965.

“Beatlemania” is in full swing. The miniskirt is making its fashion debut. Soviet cosmonauts and American astronauts are making headlines as they perform the first spacewalks.

And in the UK, two institutions are also taking their first steps into the unknown — beginning journeys that will prove to be six-decade success stories.

One is the iconic Ford Transit van — the first examples of which are rolling off the production line in Langley, England.

The other is Beckwith Decorators — a firm established by then 21-year-old Doug Beckwith, armed with the knowledge acquired through a five-year decorating apprenticeship, alongside his freshly-earned City and Guilds and Art College certifications.

“At the time, my parents wanted me to do another four-year course to become a fellow of the Institute of British Decorators,” Doug said. “But I didn’t want to be reliant on anyone else. I was ready to go out on my own.”

It’s a story of entrepreneurial spirit that has played out countless times in homes across Europe and around the world, and exactly the kind of can-do attitude that vans are there to champion.

Except for Doug there were a couple of problems. Firstly, he only had a licence to ride a motorcycle. Secondly, there was the small matter of funding a van for his new business.

The answer to the first problem was simple. It took just a month for Doug to pass his test to drive a car or van.

The solution to the second problem was a used Ford Thames van, bought from a local dealer in Nottingham, the town where 61 years later Beckwith Decorators continues to thrive.

Like father, like son

By 1966, Doug’s businesses was well established and already in need of an extra pair of hands.

“After a year on my own, I was approached by a 15-year-old called Brian Theobald, and I was happy to take him on as my first employee. He’s now 73 and still working for us,” Doug said. “Brian’s always been an employee — never a subcontractor. Even in harder times we’ve kept him busy.”

In fact, across the past six decades, Doug — who’s now 81 and still working — has employed a team of up to seven decorators. He’s also kick-started the careers of four apprentices in addition to his son, Phil, who joined the family business in 1990.

Like his father, Phil was keen to get a brush in his hand and start learning his trade as soon as possible.

“I was interested in doing a degree in Interior Design, but I'll be honest; as soon as I got that first wage packet, going to university just fell by the wayside,” Phil said. “But I did enrol in college to do the City and Guilds qualifications, and from there I did an Advanced Craft qualification.”

Phil even branched out to teaching part-time at the local college. For three years he was able to pass on his decorating knowledge and experience from his training and the day job to enthusiastic students in evening classes.

“It felt like a natural progression to do some lecturing,” Phil said. “Everybody can paint, but not everybody can decorate.”

Moving with the times

Fast-forward three decades and Beckwith Decorators continue to be in high demand.

The Ford Thames has long-since been replaced by a series of vans including the Transit Connect that’s now dashing the team between jobs.

Then came the pandemic.

“We were furloughed like a lot of people in 2020, and I started watching some of the painting and decorating channels on the Internet. I was a little bit taken aback at the information that was being put out there,” Phil said. “I thought, ‘if I can't tell people how to do painting and decorating, nobody can’. So now I’m a YouTube influencer. It’s a hobby and a sideline and I really enjoy it.”

Clearly, the Beckwiths are not afraid to try something new, which is why last year they made the jump to an electric van for the first time.

Phil was at the local Ford dealership for routine servicing of the Transit Connect when he saw the electric E-Transit Custom ¹ for the first time.

Five days later, he was taking delivery of an E-Transit Custom Limited.

“It was the right size for us, especially as these days we’re carrying more spraying equipment, which takes up quite a bit of space. It looks great, has a heated steering wheel — there’s nothing better in winter — and driving range is far more than we cover in a day,” Phil said.

In fact, like many local businesses, Beckwith Decorators typically cover only 20 or 30 miles every day. That means charging just once a week, which is easy and cost effective to do at home where the van is stored overnight.

“We have travelled further for jobs in the past,” Doug said. “We did one job for a famous footballer — flying out to his villa overseas. For another job we drove and then took the ferry to the Channel Islands. They were great experiences, but we get most of our work from word of mouth in our local area.”

While a lot has changed in the 61 years that Beckwith Decorators and Transit have been in business, that “word of mouth” remains as important as ever. A business lives and dies on its reputation.

Doug and Phil are mindful that driving an electric van can make a good impression with their customers, and keeping up with the latest trends is important for more than just interior design.

“We’re always looking to move with the times,” Doug said. “Our industry is moving away from oil-based paints. It makes sense for us to move away from oil-based vans too.”

Peter Watt is a communications manager for Ford Pro, Europe

¹ Up to 373 km driving range based on full charge of E-Transit Custom rear-wheel drive 2026 model year. Estimated range using Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Figures shown are for comparability purposes and should only be compared with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. Actual range varies due to factors such as temperature, driving behaviour, route profile, vehicle maintenance, lithium-ion battery age and condition.