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| Tonibell |
| Bentalls, Pipps Hill |
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Location: Arterial Road, Laindon Photographer: George Le-Gresley Year of photo: circa early 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: Tonibell vans in the yard at Laindon. |
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Location: Arterial Road, Laindon Photographer: George Le-Gresley Year of photo: circa early 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: Tonibell vans in the yard at Laindon. |
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Location: Arterial Road, Laindon Photographer: George Le-Gresley Year of photo: circa early 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: A fire damaged van at the Laindon yard. Samson House can be made out to the right of the van. |
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Location: Arterial Road, Laindon Photographer: George Le-Gresley Year of photo: circa early 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: Tonibell vans in the yard at Laindon. |
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Location: Unknown Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: circa early 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: George Le-Gresley. |
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Location: Unknown Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: circa early 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: George Le-Gresley. |
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Location: Arterial Road, Laindon Photographer: George Le-Gresley Year of photo: circa early 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: Tonibell vans in the yard at Laindon. |
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Location: Bowlers Croft Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: circa 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: Tonibell Vehicles seen as Bowlers Croft, Nevendon. |
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Location: Bowlers Croft Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: circa 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: Tonibell Vehicles seen as Bowlers Croft, Nevendon. |
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Location: Unknown Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 2006 Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: |
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Location: Unknown Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 2006 Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: |
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Location: Unknown Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 2006 Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: |
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Location: Pitsea Broadway Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 1980s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: Former 'Mr. Whippy' employee Ray Levine poses for the camera at Pitsea Broadway. |
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Location: Honywood Rd, Nevendon Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: |
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Location: Bowlers Croft Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: |
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Location: Honywood Rd, Nevendon Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: . |
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Location: Unknown Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: |
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Location: Unknown Photographer: Unknown Year of photo: 1960s Copyright: George Le-Gresley Source: George Le-Gresley Comments: |
| Tonibell |
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From the late 1950s a familiar sight and sound around
the streets of Basildon was a Tonibell ice cream van. The company, known as Tonibell
Manufacturing Co. Ltd, was founded as Tonis in 1937 by Italian born Toni Pignatelli and his
wife. Originally operating from a shop in Burnt Oak, Middlesex, their first vehicle did not
take to the streets until 1951 by which time they were joined by their son Ronald. During the
fifties the business grew and Basildon, with its new town status offering fresh custom, was
seen as the ideal place to expand operations. Their first depot, a yard adjacent to the Laindon
Service Station on the Southend bound carriageway of the A127 before the Fortune-of-War
roundabout, opened sometime in the late 1950s. They continued here, having become Tonibell
following a change of name in 1960, for a few more years before relocating to Bowlers Croft on
the No.1 Nevendon Industrial Estate. Their vehicles were custom variations of among others; Morris vans and the Bedford CA series. Early vehicles were finished in a blue livery with some featuring a scaled down cow astride the front roof. Later models also included the cow and a memorable colour change to pink, which was probably how people best remember them. They also had a specially written chime. In addition to the street operations there were several ice cream parlours and snack bars in Basildon town centre. These were branded Tonis and situated at 5 South Gunnels, and from around 1963, 11 Market Pavement. The Market Pavement shop lasted until the 1980s before being bought by Tony Dow of Martins Mobile Sales of Durham Road, Laindon, who then re-opened for a time as Diamonds Resturant. In the late 1960s Tonibell moved again, this time to a new depot in Bentalls on Industrial Estate No.2 (Pipps Hill), but by the early 1990s had closed. Tonibell is still seen around locally as Gary Levine of Canvey Island operates several vans in their livery and the chimes can still be heard on many T.V. programmes that feature the sound of an ice cream van in the background noise. Text written 2007 with revisions 2007-2007. Copyright © 2007-2007, Basildon History Online. All rights reserved. |
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