80-502: Pressed Steel Company Limited was a British car body manufacturing business founded at Cowley near Oxford in 1926 as a joint venture between William Morris , Budd Corporation of Philadelphia USA, which held the controlling interest , and a British / American bank J. Henry Schroder & Co . At that time the company was named The Pressed Steel Company of Great Britain Limited. It acquired Budd's patent rights and processes for use in
160-481: A pro rata basis. In 1965 Pressed Steel was acquired by the British Motor Corporation and BMC set about combining Pressed Steel with its existing body-making subsidiary Fisher and Ludlow , acquired by BMC some twelve years earlier, thereby creating Pressed Steel-Fisher (PS-F). At the time of the merger Pressed Steel was the largest independent manufacturer of car bodies and car body tooling in
240-456: A "large bore" engine. The chassis used leaf springs at the rear and independent coil springing at the front. A control on the steering wheel centre adjusts the hardness of the rear springing by hydraulically adjusting the rear dampers . This is done via opening a check valve that provides pressure by diverting transmission oil to the dampers. A pedal-operated central lubrication system type Bijur-Girling allows oil to be applied to moving parts of
320-673: A Rolls-Royce or Bentley radiator. Though he stretched the demand to 2,000 per year, Pressed Steel were "nonplussed" by their small demand. The body was used for the Bentley Mark VI and Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn . They were assembled at Roll-Royce's Crewe works previously used for the Merlin aero engine, on a new body production line. When compared with USA and France the British automotive industry then had little vertical integration. Britain's "Big Five" looked to their body suppliers. In
400-549: A body from a specialist coachbuilder , and negotiated with the Pressed Steel Company a contract for a general-purpose body to carry four people in comfort on their postwar chassis behind a Rolls-Royce or Bentley radiator. Though he stretched the demand to 2000 per year, Pressed Steel were "nonplussed" by the small demand. Chassis continued to be supplied to independent coachbuilders, which produced four-door saloon, two-door saloon and drophead coupe models. Out of
480-541: A boot of about twice the size and the result became known as the R type Bentley based on the Chassis number at which the change took place. The name of the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn was not changed after the modification that started with the "E" series in these cars. A very few Mark VI engines and chassis were modified to provide higher performance and sold to be bodied by selected coachbuilders as
560-531: A huge industrial centre. In the Great Depression many people left areas of high unemployment such as South Wales and moved to the Cowley area to work in Cowley's factories. Large areas of housing were built and rented out to the migrants. Florence Park was one area built in the 1920s for a private landlord to rent to new workers. The houses looked nice but they were poorly built and maintained, until
640-442: A lower frontal area and of significantly lighter construction, the first – made by H J Mulliner – developed in conjunction with Evernden and Blatchley. The first still luxurious car was more than 10% lighter than the standard car. They were the most expensive production cars in the world and the world's fastest 4/5-seater saloons with a top speed above 120 mph. These chassis were produced between June 1952 and April 1953 and bear
720-571: A new plant in Swindon to provide extra capacity, and in 1961 they opened their Linwood , Scotland plant alongside the new Rootes Linwood plant to provide bodies for the new Hillman Imp being produced there. By the end of the 20th century the Linwood site had been completely cleared. It is now partly occupied by a cinema complex. Pressed Steel was a major manufacturer of press tooling for Morris, Hillman, Rover and Rolls-Royce and car companies across
800-418: A single dual downdraught Stromberg carburetor type AAV26M and a different inlet manifold as fitted in the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn and Silver Wraith. A four-speed synchromesh manual transmission was fitted in all Bentley MK VI with the change lever to the right of the driver on RHD cars and on the column on LHD versions. 4 + 1 ⁄ 4 -litre cars had chassis numbers from B 1 AJ through B 400 LJ, with
880-492: Is a residential and industrial area in Oxford , in the county of Oxfordshire , England. Cowley's neighbours are Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys to the south, Headington to the north and the villages of Horspath and Garsington across fields to the east. Internationally, Cowley is best known for its automotive industry - historically it was the home of the car manufacturer Morris (later absorbed into British Leyland , then
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#1732801241469960-497: Is often called the Cowley Road area, after the road across the fields from Oxford to Cowley villages. The term Cowley today usually refers to the remainder of Cowley (the parish of Cowley St James where the original Cowley villages stood), which became part of the city of Oxford in 1928. However, because the settlements of Cowley were situated within the larger Cowley parishes, there are still some modern contexts (such as
1040-532: Is sometimes casually referred to as the "big bore" engine, the earlier version as the "small bore" version. The 4 1/2 L version of the engine is as well equipped with a Vokes 30 (later: Vokes 62) full flow oil filter (some earlier 4 1/4 L cars have since been modified to a full flow filtration system). Carburation in RHD ( right hand drive ) cars were two horizontal constant-vacuum SU carburetors (type H4 up to B81HP, type H6 from B83 HP on). LHD ( left hand drive ) cars had
1120-552: The Maestro and Montego in the 1980s. The Morris Motors factory expanded with factory complexes on both sides of the Oxford Road. Although Morris started his original work on the outskirts of the city the Cowley site quickly became the production site for high volume production. It was the original base of Morris cars when the marque was founded in 1912, and production continued at the factory until 1982, with models including
1200-534: The Mini factory, stood Johnson's Café, which fed thousands of Morris Motors workers in the past. It was founded decades ago by Reginald Johnson and until its final day its interior was decorated with bold murals of early speedway stars. Reginald's sons Aubrey and Len took over after the Second World War . Len's son Joe Johnson was an international motocross star in the 1960s until he settled down to run
1280-675: The Morris Minor , Morris Oxford , Riley Motor and Wolseley Motors cars. The Morris marque was not abandoned until 1984 when production of the Longbridge-built Morris Ital and development of the Morris Marina finished. The factory then became the production facility for the Maestro , Montego and the Princess Range. Production continued with the facility totally given over to production of
1360-509: The Rover 600 and Rover 800 . These models were replaced by the Rover 75 in late 1998, but BMW broke up the Rover Group in 2000 and Rover 75 production moved to Longbridge . The original Morris Motor sites were flattened and a technology park has since been created on the site. The former Nuffield Press site including the former Oxford Military College buildings was redeveloped in
1440-632: The Rover Group they decide to retain the Pressed Steel Fisher site and transfer the Mini from Longbridge to Cowley, enabling the Longbridge site to continue to produce all the Rover products. BMW retained ownership of the Cowley plant, formerly Pressed Steel, to build the all-new Mini that was launched in the spring of 2001. It has been the best selling car to be built at the plant since
1520-408: The Rover Group ), which has now evolved into Mini . The Cowley area has been inhabited since Roman times . The line of a Roman road runs north-south along the eastern edge of Cowley. It linked a Roman town at Dorchester-on-Thames with a Roman military camp at Alchester near Bicester . A road called Roman Way follows part of its route. It is behind the Mini car factory, starting opposite
1600-546: The Stagecoach in Oxfordshire bus garage. Cowley coalesced from the former villages of Middle Cowley, Temple Cowley and Church Cowley (around St James church), though the ancient parish of Cowley covered much of the area now known as East Oxford . The western portion of the original parish of Cowley was split off and became part of the city of Oxford in 1889, and was given the name of Cowley St John, though today it
1680-494: The Wycombe Railway , opened a station called Morris Cowley to serve some of the thousands of workers commuting to the factory. In 1933, a goods yard was built beside the line to bring supplies into the factory and take completed vehicles away. This yard still exists and serves the current vehicle-manufacturing plant, though the railway beyond has long been lifted. From the 1920s through to the 1960s, Cowley expanded into
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#17328012414691760-432: The 1980s the group was known as Austin Rover , in the 1990s it was Rover Group and since 2001 the factory has been owned by BMW . But the name "Morris's" is ingrained in local culture and speech habits, particularly amongst older inhabitants. By the early 1970s, over 20,000 people worked in Cowley at the vast Morris Motors and Pressed Steel Fisher plants. Unipart is also a major employer in Cowley, with premises next to
1840-604: The A4142 spanned by a special bridge between plants. This was several years after Andre Citroen was co-operating with Budd in France for building Citroen car bodies. The venture was not a success. In May 1930 it was announced that arrangements had been concluded to place the Pressed Steel plant under British control. Operations had not gathered pace as expected. Many difficulties had been encountered. The British steel industry
1920-492: The British motor industry - over 90% of turnover - were by value 40% to BMC and a similar share to Rootes. However BMC's bodies were relatively unfinished, whereas Rootes' bodies were painted and trimmed, so 61% of unit volume went to BMC and 27% to Rootes. BMC purchased only a quarter to a third of its requirements from Pressed Steel, obtaining the rest from subsidiaries Fisher & Ludlow, Nuffield Metal Products, Austin, Morris Commercial Cars and Morris Motor Bodies. Rootes Group
2000-539: The British motor industry but also for Volvo , Alfa Romeo and Hindustan Motors . Under BLMC the Pressed Steel-Fisher business became the Pressed Steel Fisher division. In 1975 BLMC was nationalised and became British Leyland Limited . When BMW acquired Rover Group in 1994 it became owner of the Swindon pressing plant. Although BMW disposed of much of Rover Group's assets in 2000, they retained
2080-671: The Cowley Fathers mentioned below) when the term "Cowley" is used to refer to other areas in East Oxford outside of Cowley proper. Cowley was a manor from Medieval times, and a 16th-century manor house stood on Oxford Road near the corner with Hollow Way. In 1139, Matilda of Boulogne founded Temple Cowley here for the Knights Templar . The house became part of the Oxford Military College which
2160-490: The High Court the directors of Morris Motors Limited were obliged to retire from the Pressed Steel board, with the share interests of Morris Motors either taken over by other interests or surrendered to the company. This was followed by the announcement of a reduction of Pressed Steel's capital from £1.6 million to £1.2 million. Morris lost the capital he had invested and the right to appoint directors, Pressed Steel
2240-562: The Swindon pressings plant and set up a subsidiary, Swindon Pressings Limited (SPL), there in 2000. SPL now provides most of the body panels and body sub-assemblies for the Mini models produced at Plant Oxford in Cowley, at what was the Pressed Steel site. Linwood was a pressing site for Chrysler, pushed for and subsidized by the British Government Under the Prestcold name Pressed Steel supplied refrigerators for
2320-483: The United Kingdom. Morris transferred his interest to his company, Morris Motors Limited. Pressed Steel was acquired in 1965 by the British Motor Corporation and this led to BMC's acquisition of Jaguar later in 1965. At the end of 1966 BMC changed its name to British Motor Holdings (BMH). BMH merged with Leyland Motors in 1968 to create British Leyland and Pressed Steel's businesses were absorbed into
2400-445: The ability to "climb a hill of 1 in 9 maximum gradient, complicated by bends", all of which supported the manufacturer's contention that power, along with low speed torque, were adequate. In 1951, a 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 -litre, 4.6 L (4,566 cc/278 cu in) version of the engine was introduced. The increase in displacement was accomplished by increasing the bore from 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch to 3 5/8 inch. The later version
2480-410: The air filtration systems. The site now belongs to Oxford Brookes University who built student accommodation on the site, and now use the former bunker as a storage facility making it the only student halls in the country with its own nuclear shelter. In 1921 the civil parish had a population of 2790. On 1 April 1929 the parish was abolished and merged with St Giles and St John . The Cowley area
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2560-530: The back, two sides and the front. The doors were also stamped in one. These all-steel bodies were said to give the cars lightness with great strength, more room inside and better visibility. At the very end of 1935 Budd agreed to sell their controlling interest to British interests and then Pressed Steel was fully independent having from mid-1930 also produced car bodies for Morris's competitors. The degree of completion of Pressed Steel's finished product varied widely. In some cases unpainted stampings were shipped to
2640-415: The cafe alongside Aubrey and his son, Andrew, after Len's death. After Aubrey's death in the 1980s the cafe was run by Andrew and Joey to the end. This cafe suffered an armed robbery on 16 January 2008 and closed in 2009. The building is now occupied by Oxford Spin & Fitness centre. Schools serving Cowley include Greyfriars Catholic School and Oxford Spires Academy . Cowley is a principal setting in
2720-535: The car factory. In later years Morris Motors and Pressed Steel became one company. Subsequently the Morris's site was closed down, demolished, and redeveloped as the Oxford Business Park. The car factory is known today as Plant Oxford and is now owned by BMW and has been extensively redeveloped. It remains the largest industrial employer in Oxfordshire employing more than 4,300 people. The plant
2800-418: The coachbuilt cars the most sought after now are the 241 cars built by H.J. Mulliner. A single 1950 Standard Steel bodied MkVI chassis B39HP registration LLP 769 was supplied new converted internally by Mulliner into a six-seater limousine supplied to L.S. Lambourne Esq. The ex factory price was £2595 plus £140 for the outsourced conversion by Mulliner of the front seat to accommodate the wind up glass division in
2880-509: The custom bench seat. This first Bentley factory finished car was given the name Bentley Mark VI standard steel sports saloon. This shorter wheelbase chassis and engine was a variant of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith of 1946 and, with the same standard steel body, became the cautiously introduced Silver Dawn of 1949. In 1952 both Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn and Bentley Mk VI standard steel bodies were modified to incorporate
2960-431: The customer's plant for finishing and assembly. In other cases, customers were sent their bodies fully assembled, painted, trimmed and glazed. In 1944 W. A. Robotham saw that there would be limited postwar demand for Rolls-Royce or Bentley chassis with a body from a specialist coachbuilder, and negotiated with the company a contract for a general-purpose body to carry four people in comfort on their postwar chassis behind
3040-406: The final two letters indicating the series in which it was built. The "big bore" cars serial numbers begin with B 1 MB (although B 2 MD was the first big bore Mark VI built) and ended with B 300 PV (although B 301 PU was the last one built). Each alphabetic series only contained either even or odd numbers, and 13 was always skipped for the odd-numbered sequences. The 4.3 L (260 cu in)
3120-450: The first Bentley Continentals (see below). The Mark VI 4 + 1 ⁄ 4 -litre used an F-head straight-6 engine 4.3 L (4,257 cc/259 cu in) in size. The manufacturer refused to disclose a horse power value for the car (other than Tax Horsepower of 29.4 hp according to the old RAC formula ) but an Autocar Magazine road test reproduced in 1950 reported that top gear provided "flexibility down to 6 mph (10 km/h)" and
3200-554: The home, industrial cold rooms and marine installations. The Domestic Refrigeration Factory (DRF)—it was publicly acknowledged the product of the first four years was not reliable—started in 1933 and was located within the Cowley site for many years before transferring to Swansea in a government sponsored regeneration scheme, an ill-fated venture with Rolls washing machines. As a supplier to entrepreneur John Bloom 's company when Rolls Razor went into liquidation in July 1964 Pressed Steel
3280-509: The home-market. The R-type led up to the introduction of the completely redesigned S series in 1955. Bentley Mark VI Production volumes: A Mark VI chassis (at first referred to within the works as Corniche II) was developed by Ivan Evernden and J P Blatchley in 1950 and 1951 carrying a larger engine with a higher compression ratio and modified fuel and exhaust systems, a close ratio gearbox and much higher final drive ratio. By special arrangement with Bentley 2-door bodies were fitted having
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3360-540: The industry. In the late 1960s, and the early 1970s, the R&;D function pioneered the use of Finite Element Analysis for the body structure, and developed computerised crash simulation techniques for the complete vehicle, the occupants and the pedestrian. Between 1973 & 1980 the R & D function also developed plastic fuel tanks that proved superior to the only other current ones of the time produced by Volkswagen. By 1965 Pressed Steel employed 26,000 people. Its sales to
3440-487: The late 1990s into housing. The business park has attracted a large David Lloyd Leisure centre and offices of numerous companies including the European headquarters of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles and the headquarters of international aid charity Oxfam GB . Cowley is an ethnically diverse community, with significant black and South Asian communities. Cowley has a strong sporting tradition. In 1938 Oxford Stadium
3520-495: The new Mini. Lastly, Pressed Steel's former factory in Castle Bromwich now forms part of Jaguar's main assembly plant. William Morris had recognised the potential of pressed steel car bodies being developed by Budd Corporation in U.S.A.and wanted them for his own cars. The new joint venture initially supplied car bodies to Morris's Morris Motors, with its plant located alongside the new Pressed Steel plant with what became
3600-496: The new conglomerate. Many components of the former Pressed Steel business were gradually divested following British Leyland's bankruptcy, nationalization and subsequent restructuring. Today three major Pressed Steel factories are still in operation. The Cowley plant is now where BMW's Mini is assembled, known as Plant Oxford . At the old Swindon plant the BMW subsidiary Swindon Pressings Limited, or Plant Swindon, produces parts for
3680-660: The novel The Alteration by Kingsley Amis , set in an alternative reality where the Protestant Reformation never occurred. Cowley was the site of the Holy Victory in the War of English Succession (where 'Henry the Abominable' attempted to seize the throne from his nephew Stephen II, resulting in a papal crusade). As a result, it was renamed Coverley and made the ecclesiastical capital of England, surpassing
3760-567: The only remaining independent supplier of mass-produced car bodies in Britain. In December 1953 Pressed Steel Company Limited was able to advertise: "The largest press shops in Europe with over 350 power presses working with pressures up to 1000 tons . . . a factory area at Cowley alone more than half the size of Hyde Park . . . Here, indeed, with its 12,000 and more workers, is one of Britain's greatest industrial enterprises." In 1956 they opened
3840-476: The same decade the railway between Princes Risborough and Oxford closed, but the track between Kennington Junction and Cowley remains open for freight in and out of the car factory. Between 1980 and 1992 the headquarters of the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) was located in a converted barracks building at Cowley Barracks on James Wolfe Road, Cowley. The UKWMO
3920-604: The scuttle and a second heater that made use of the coolant and was fitted with an electric fan beneath the left front seat. Twin screen wipers were fitted and provision was made for the fitting of a radio with a short and flexibly mounted aerial that could be swung up above the centre of the screen. A 4.6-litre, factory bodied car tested by The Motor magazine in 1951 had a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 15.0 seconds. A fuel consumption of 16.5 miles per imperial gallon (17.1 L/100 km; 13.7 mpg ‑US )
4000-425: The secular capital of London in terms of importance. On his 1992 tour of England (heard on the posthumously released Shock and Awe album), the comedian and satirist Bill Hicks stated that he had found the "Alabama of Britain" whilst attending a radio interview in Cowley. Cowley is referenced in the lyrics of the song "Zorbing" by the British alternative indie folk band Stornoway : "Been Zorbing through
4080-401: The single hinged ventilation flap centrally mounted on the top of the bonnet, directly ahead of the windscreen was replaced, on later cars, with two hinged ventilation flaps, mounted at or slightly below knee height, one on each side of the bonnet, ahead of the front doors. The oil filler cap is another way to identify engine type; a plastic cap is typical of a "small bore" engine, a metal cap of
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#17328012414694160-443: The spring of 1953 Briggs Motor Bodies , American like Budd, had the bulk of its British operation swallowed by Ford . The following autumn The British Motor Corporation acquired Fisher & Ludlow . Fisher & Ludlow supplied Standard-Triumph who were then obliged to take control of the relatively small Mulliners but that took a few more years to develop and Mulliners was to close at the end of 1960. Pressed Steel stood alone as
4240-538: The streets of Cowley". Young detective Endeavour Morse is based at Cowley Road police station in the Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour . Bentley Mark VI The Bentley Mark VI is an automobile from Bentley which was produced from 1946 until 1952. The Mark VI 4-door standard steel sports saloon was the first post-war luxury car from Bentley. Announced in May 1946 and produced from 1946 to 1952 it
4320-485: The successful Allen Scythe powered by a small Villiers petrol engine. The works closed in the early 1980s, and the Templars Shopping Park formerly known as John Allen Centre retail park has since been built on the site. The Oxford Military College bought the former Cowley Middle Class School in 1876. The College hall, a former manor house , was built in the early 17th century. The Chapel of 1870
4400-514: The suspension from a central reservoir by using a foot pedal. The 12.25 in (311 mm) drum brakes were assisted by the traditional Rolls-Royce mechanical servo at the transmission. Employing its experience with the steel bodies made in short runs since 1936 by then partly-owned subsidiary Park Ward the Car Division of Rolls-Royce offered their lowest priced chassis with a factory-supplied body all-steel so it could be exported all over
4480-601: The tenants held a rent strike and forced the landlord to make repairs. Most Florence Park houses are now owner-occupied, and the area's tree-lined roads are now a popular neighbourhood in which to live. In World War II the Morris factory produced many de Havilland Tiger Moth training aeroplanes for the war effort and there was also the No 1 Metal and Produce Recovery Depot run by the Civilian Repair Organisation to handle crashed or damaged aircraft and even
4560-469: The world including Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo etc. The R&D function, which was set up at the Cowley site in the early 1960s, and later transferred to their development site at Gaydon [1980], was a centre of excellence for the industry with many new processes including the development of electrophoretic painting (electrocoat), full mould casting, robotic welding and assembly, robotic adhesive and sealant application and robotic painting amongst many other firsts in
4640-662: The world. In the third quarter of 1966 BMC completed its takeover of Jaguar Cars On 14 December 1966 BMC shareholders approved the change of its name to British Motor Holdings (BMH) and it took effect from that moment. Early in 1968 BMH merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC) to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), By this time PS-F had become the world's largest independent car body and car body tool manufacturer, and supplied bodies and tools not only for
4720-472: The world. The factory bodies with a Gurney-Nutting - Blatchley refined shape were made by Pressed Steel Ltd of Cowley and sent to the Bentley works at Crewe for painting and fitting out with traditional wood and leather. They featured rear hinged "suicide" doors at the front with concealed hinges, a sliding sunroof , a permanently closed windscreen with an electric defrosting and demisting unit hidden in
4800-400: The wreckage of enemy aircraft was processed here. Paul Nash was inspired to paint Totes Meer based on sketches he made of the recovery depot. Despite successive company mergers and name changes, "Morris's" is still often used as the name of the car factory to this day. In 1952, Morris Motors became part of the British Motor Corporation (BMC), in 1968 BMC became British Leyland , in
4880-540: Was William Morris, later Lord Nuffield , who founded Morris Motors which was the source of a great deal of local employment leading to substantial growth in the area. A public house is named after him located in the nearby Templar Square shopping centre. Another well-known pupil of the school was the actress Dame Maggie Smith . In 1866 the Society of St. John the Evangelist , a Church of England religious order ,
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#17328012414694960-538: Was almost entirely dependent on Pressed Steel for its car bodies. Jaguar and Rover were wholly or very largely dependent on Pressed Steel for their car bodies. A factor covered in the Monopolies Commission report was Chrysler's association with Rootes Group, so that there was the possibility of a take-over from the United States putting Jaguar's and Rover's body supplies at risk if BMC's proposal
5040-443: Was also both the first car from Rolls-Royce with all-steel coachwork and the first complete car assembled and finished at their factory. These very expensive cars were a genuine success; long-term, their weakness lay in the inferior steels forced on them by government's post-war controls. In 1944 Rolls-Royce executive W. A. Robotham saw that there would be limited postwar demand for a Rolls-Royce or Bentley rolling chassis with
5120-429: Was built on its grounds in the 19th century. In 1864, the Wycombe Railway between High Wycombe and Oxford was built through Cowley, but at this time the village was so small that the railway company did not provide it with a station. Cowley St James C of E school, situated on Beauchamp Lane adjacent to the church, was established in 1834 and continued to operate as a primary school until 1975. Its most famous pupil
5200-487: Was built on the site of part of a former Knights Templar estate. [1] Opposite the site of the former pool is the band hall of the City of Oxford Silver Band and next door to it stands Cowley Library,. Oxfordshire Record Office occupies the former St Luke 's church nearby. Morris Motors Athletic & Social Club in nearby Crescent Road has a large sports ground and club house. Until 2009 on Watlington Road, opposite
5280-528: Was built to host the sport of greyhound racing . In 1939 motorcycle speedway moved to Oxford Stadium. After a few years Oxford's speedway team were named Oxford Cheetahs, a name they still bear today. Temple Cowley Pools in Temple Road was a public swimming and gymnasium complex run by Oxford City Council which closed in December 2014 for redevelopment as housing. Its main pool was 25 metres long. It
5360-465: Was designed by the architect Edward George Bruton . An east wing designed by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson was added in 1877. The Oxford Military College closed in 1896, developed from 1912 by William Morris as the Cowley plant . During the 1960s, the centre of Cowley was demolished and replaced with Templas Square shopping center (previously it had been known as "Cowley Centre", and sometimes still is). In
5440-693: Was founded near Cowley Road in the parish of Cowley. SSJE was the first long-lasting Anglican religious order for men since the Reformation . The members were frequently known as the "Cowley Fathers". In 1868 the Eddison and Nodding Company factory was founded in Cowley. John Allen bought it in 1897 and renamed it the Oxford Steam Plough Company. He later renamed it again as John Allen and Sons, and diversified into manufacturing other agricultural and horticultural machinery including
5520-412: Was now free to supply other customers. In the coachwork exhibition at the 1931 Olympia Motor Show alongside the products of Salmons, Thrupp and Maberly, Windovers etc. Pressed Steel Company displayed bodies of a Twelve-six Harley de luxe Austin saloon, a Hillman Wizard 75 de luxe saloon and a 12-horsepower six-cylinder Rover Pilot . Readers of The Times were told the bodies were made in four pieces,
5600-570: Was owed $ 1,200,000. So ended Prestcold domestic appliances. Industrial refrigeration supplied on a large scale to supermarkets and food retailing groups was to continue for many years operating out of the Theale site nr. Reading. Former associate Budd Corporation built passenger rolling stock. An existing engineering factory in Linwood , Scotland , was acquired by Pressed Steel in 1947 where they manufactured railway rolling stock. A peak of production
5680-422: Was persuaded by Sir Peter Masefield to invest in light aircraft through the formation of its Beagle Aircraft division. Beagle was sold to the government in December 1966. This venture lost Pressed Steel about £3M. Beagle's facilities at Shoreham-by-Sea were purchased with their take-over of Miles Aircraft and those at Rearsby with Auster . Cowley, Oxford Cowley ( / ˈ k aʊ l ɪ / )
5760-501: Was reached in the late 1950s – early 1960s. The types of rolling stock produced were of standard British Railways design, and included: standard carriages, British Rail Class 117 Diesel Multiple Units , British Rail Class 303 "Blue Train" Electric Multiple Units , and specialist vehicles like restaurant cars. Pressed Steel received few orders after the completion of the changeover to diesel trains and modern carriages. British Executive and General Aviation Limited. In 1960 Pressed Steel
5840-488: Was recorded. The test car cost £4,473 including taxes. The Mark VI was introduced at a time of steel shortage across Europe which translated into a serious shortage of new cars for sale on the UK market. A Used Car report in 1951 of a three-year-old example with 10,450 miles (16,815 kilometres) on the odometer noted that a car which had, when new, retailed for £4,038 including sales taxes, was now offered for sale at £5,335. This
5920-459: Was referred to as the 4 + 1 ⁄ 4 L and can be quickly identified from its single exhaust in RHD cars. The 4.6 L (280 cu in) is known as the 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 L and features a twin exhaust in RHD cars. In LHD cars the (much less restrictive) twin exhaust system was only fitted with the introduction of the R-type. In addition for "standard steel" Mark VI saloons
6000-603: Was seen as a comment on the quality of the car but also on the continuing shortage of cars for sale. By the end of 1952 order-books had shrunk and the Mark VI was replaced by the R-Type , featuring an extended boot/trunk supported by a chassis that was extended by six inches behind the rear wheels. In addition, an automatic transmission option was now available, an automatic choke along with other less visible modifications were added and former export-only options were now available to
6080-586: Was set up in 1926 by a consortium including William Morris and the Budd Company of America and was adjacent to the Morris Motors factory. Morris and the Budd Company both pulled out of the consortium and the plant became an independent supplier of bodies and tooling to Morris and other car manufacturers across the world. The company also produced the Prestcold refrigerators. When BMW sold
6160-538: Was the organisation responsible for initiating the four-minute warning in the event of a nuclear attack on the UK and was disbanded at the end of the Cold War . Co-located with HQUKWMO was the Headquarters of No 3 Oxford Group Royal Observer Corps whose underground protected nuclear bunker at the Cowley site opened in 1965. Parts of the bunker were demolished in 1995, however most of it was refurbished including
6240-459: Was transformed after 1912 when William Morris bought the former Oxford Military College and moved Morris Motors Limited into it from its former premises in Oxford . He expanded into "The Old Tin Shed" in 1914 and then into a huge complex of purpose-built production lines in Cowley, as Morris pioneered Henry Ford -style mass production in the UK. The Great Western Railway , which had taken over
6320-532: Was unable to provide steel sheets large enough for the Budd machines and, once they came available, in any case American supplies were still 25% cheaper than local supplies. Tycoons William R. Morris and Edward G. Budd were unable to settle their differences. Budd took his troubles with Morris to the High Court, which decided in Budd's favour and in June 1930, by a resolution of the shareholders supported by an order of
6400-441: Was vetoed. It was also noted by the commission that an internal document drawn up while negotiations between BMC and Pressed Steel were in progress set out the terms and assurances to be offered to customers, including that the continuance of supply of bodies or tools to customers other than BMC would be subject to BMC's own requirements . The commission subsequently obtained assurances that allocations will be made to all customers on
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