The story of Joseph Allen & Sons starts in Matlock.

Joseph and his first wife had moved to the Matlock area about 1876.

Joseph Allen bought the Crown Square garage and shops, together with the living quarters on the first and second floors in July 1916. The premises were known as the "bottom yard" within the Allen family. The photograph shows three vehicles in the Allen fleet in 1924. There is a hearse on the right. Funerals were the most successful aspect of the business and in the 1920s Joseph Allen's grand-daughter, Ethel May, noted that they were almost a daily occurrence.

This was the first car owned by the Allen family and was being driven by William Allen, the third son of Joseph Allen. The Belsize motor had been built in Clayton, Manchester and was bought on 9th July 1912 when William drove it to Matlock. The first paid job using the vehicle was just a few days later, on 14th July. The picture was taken outside the United Methodist Church on Imperial Road.

The Belper Business.

The death of his father, Thomas Allen of Belper, in January 1907, helped Joseph to further establish himself as a cab proprietor. Joseph persuaded his brother Willoughby Allen that the business should continue under Joseph's control rather than be sold.

This resulted in Joseph junior moving to Belper with his family to run the business there. Whereas the Matlock business remained as "Joseph Allen", the Belper branch became "Joseph Allen and Sons"