During the 1920s and 30s the firm gained a reputation for building special bodies on Morris and Rolls-Royce chassis. In 1930 the Jaguar franchise was added. In 1931, a motor show known as "Liverpool's Olympia", the second of its kind, was held at the Watson Renshaw Street premises. About 100 cars were on display. The Watson workshop premises were further extended in 1936 on three floors at Oldham Street, Liverpool. Morris servicing was on the first floor; Morris spare parts operation, body building and repair on the third floor; servicing of other cars on the second floor (including Talbot, Alvis, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Bentley, AC); and chassis work in the basement. The second-hand car stock had overflowed from the Renshaw Street premises into an old German church next door. Watsons had showrooms and workshops at Chester, Colwyn Bay and Birkenhead. During World War II, Watsons repaired Anson fuselages, then became principal repairers of Mosquito aircraft, and in Bootle undertook assembly and repair work for the US armed forces. Watsons became a public limited company in 1953 and in 1957 acquired Slack & Mickle in Crewe. When William Watson died in 1961 he was still responsible for the destiny of his firm, which had become the largest distributor of motor vehicles in the north-west of England, serving 80 motor dealers and employing 600 staff. WATSON CO LTD IN THE '60s. In the 1960s the W. Watson Company Limited premises filled the both sides of Oldham Street Liverpool with the used car department fronting on Renshaw Street. The main showrooms were located two minutes away on Bold Street. As one faced up the cobblestoned Oldham street to the right was the used car department featuring its own glass cylinder petrol pump. Next, the entrance to the fully functioning blacksmith shop housed in the basement of the main building. The Main doors where a little further up the street which allowed access to the British Motor Corporation (BMC) floor. Here Morris, Austin, Wolsey and MG makes received their complete servicing. All of these models, with the steering wheels on the left, were also serviced for shipment to the USA. On the same floor was the original machine shop with machinery dating back to the war years were armaments were made. One large stationary engine provided the power through a series of belts and pulleys for some fifteen lathes, grinders, shapers and various other machines in the workshop.