Robert & Leslie Orth - Orth's Garage - (R. L. Orth & Sons Limited Motor Engineers)

The enterprise of R.L. Orth & Sons Limited was not established as a Limited liability company until 16th December 1965. Nevertheless, its roots trace back to 1914 when Reginald Leslie Orth commenced an apprenticeship at the workshop of Joseph Payne, a coachbuilder located at 2 Spital Road, Maldon. The workshop could only be characterized as an old barn with a lean-to at the rear, situated by the Ware Pond. The main entrance, along with the Payne family residence, was adjacent to Wentworth House, positioned at the corner of Spital Road and London Road, directly across from the West Square dental practice. After completing his apprenticeship and following Joseph Payne's retirement, Reg took over the business and continued to operate there for several years.

On Thursday 30th April 1925, Reg married Lilian Cooper, a girl from Heybridge, at St Andrew’s Church in Heybridge. He had met her the previous year at a dance held in the Corporation Hall on the High Street, Maldon.

The subsequent year, on Tuesday 2nd March 1926, their first son, Leslie, was born. Their second son, Robert, arrived on Thursday 19th February 1931. In May 1927, Reg acquired a parcel of land in New Street, Maldon, adjacent to the Maldon cattle and livestock market, which included a smallholding and allotments, now recognized as the Whitehorse car park where the business was situated. The construction of the Whitehorse car park took place in 1964. Once the workshop and the family home, known as “Silsoe” (Fairfield Chase), were completed, Reg expanded into general engineering and the repair of petrol vehicles. Family photographs reveal that both boys began assisting around the garage as soon as they were able to walk. Reg had a passion for anything powered by steam and constructed an outdoor model railway in their garden for the boys and their friends, which continued until the late 1949.