A mechanic who has dedicated 50 years to the trade is set to retire from his South Woodford garage on Friday. 

Dennis Jarvis, of Dennis Jarvis Motors Ltd, inherited the lease of the 19th century site, a former slaughterhouse in Station Passage, off Mulberry Way, from his father David Jarvis in 1971. 

The married father-of-three has decided to retire, aged 65, after 43 years of trading at the site, which has attracted loyal customers for over 35 years. 

He plans to spend his retirement travelling the world with his wife Jackie, 64, and investing in a property.   

Mr Jarvis left school at the age of 15 and learned the tricks-of-the-trade through his father, who repaired machinery as a landscape gardener. 

He worked in garages in Hermon Hill and Berkshire before "going it alone" and taking over the workshop which his father rented out to Woodford Coachworks Ltd.

"I started off with a box of tools and a trolley jack. There were rings hanging off the walls and cobbled flooring from when it was a slaughterhouse," he said.

"I had just one customer on that first day who remained a customer for many years. Me and Jackie had a mortgage to pay and a new baby so it really was a gamble."

Mr Jarvis says business was unaffected during the recession and at one time employed four members of staff. 

The couple lived in Greensted Road, Loughton, for 40 years before moving to Great Dunmow in Essex in January of last year. 

Records of the site date back as far as 1894 when it was used as an abattoir for the livestock in the fields which used to sit behind Mulberry Way, now known as Daisy Road. 

It was turned into a push bike repair shop called Maybank Garage in the 1950s, which later repaired cars before Mr Jarvis's father rented it out.   

The site, which was rebuilt in 2000 by Mr Jarvis after the ceiling collapsed, has been sold on for redevelopment as offices.  

Mr Jarvis added: "I would like to say a big thank you to all of my customers over the years and for helping me in making my business a success."