Lost arts; Isle Valley Transport preserves old traditions.(caters to owners of vintage auto)(Brief Article)

* Thatched cottages are not rare, even today, in England's green and pleasant land-which is why the tourist discovering the village of Isle Brewers in Somerset would utter no surprise. That is, until spotting the one with the petrol pumps out front and garage bay at the side. Isle Valley Transport is not the only thatched garage in England, but it has a long heritage.

To be entirely accurate, the garage itself is not thatched; fire codes won't allow it, so there's a roof of corrugated iron over the bay, but everything else about this enterprise, what you can see from the street anyway, is in character for vintage transportation.

Members of the Watts family have lived here for more than 90 years and run businesses here for 70-first a village shop and then the transportation and garage business. The house and adjacent walls are more than 400 years old and are ``Grade 2 listed,'' the British equivalent of historic landmark designation. The garage was built after World War II and the pumps out front are ``modern,'' dating from 1962.

Not exactly a cottage industry, Isle Valley Transport employs 20 people and runs a fleet of 14 buses and taxis for the Somerset County Council. There is a 24-hour towing operation and a general service and repair business for area motorists. The idyllic appearance belies the capabilities of the garage. The bay extends behind the building, widening to the point where several cars may be ...