Hello Brian,
This sounds similar to a site we have here in Surrey, the Rodborough
Building, Guildford. The locally produced guide to the district proclaims
this to be "probably the oldest surviving purpose built multi-storey car
factory in Europe and possibly the world". Anyway, it’s old, being built
around 1900-01 (and it’s nice to have something like this in often
overlooked Surrey!).
It’s also a Listed Building - here’s the description:
SU 94NE GUILDFORD BRIDGE STREET
(South Side)
Rodboro 3/4 Buildings
31/7/86
II
Factory. Circa 1900, extended in circa 1903. Brown brick with red brick
dressings on steel frame, with rendered cladding and risers on the ground
floor. Slate roofs, hipped on the left hand range and with parallel,
part-glazed gabled ranges to right. Rectangular plan on an island site
with the north east corner curving around the junction of Bridge and Onslow
Streets. Three storeys with gable-lit attics; stacks to front and rear at
junction of ranges. Bridge Street facade:- double gable-end range of 12
bays to right with giant end pilasters under moulded caps and further giant
pilasters to centre of each range. Brick dentil band to gables and brick
string courses on first and ground floors, cornice to eaves. Keyed,
brick-edged rounds to each gable, four fixed windows with glazing-bars, the
centre four panes pivoting, to each gable on first and second floors.
Gauged brick soldier arches over each window. Original ground floor
showroom windows now blocked and central pilaster piers truncated. Five
bay curved range wrapping around the corner to left with pier buttresses
articulating between bays. Each bay with two windows on each floor,
moulded brick eaves and blocked ground floor fenestration. Further five-bay
range to left facing Onslow Street with similar articulation and
fenestrations; the ground floor piers retain square floral panels in the
capitals. Rear elevation:- Irregular fenestration with cambered heads to
windows. Seven windows across both floors to right, of varying widths, 9
windows across the gabled ranges. Blocked doors and windows on the ground
floor. The factory originally accommodated the manufacturing plant and
equipment for the production of touring cars, motor buses and commercial
vehicles, including the fire engine, designed by the Dennis Company. It
was also used for experimental work and the most important development was
the Dennis "worm-driven" rear axle. The showrooms of the Company
originally occupied the ground floor, the manufacturing being on the upper
floors, and thus the building was one of the first, if not the first,
purpose-built car factories in England and the world. The company archives
are deposited at Guildford Muniment Room and original building plans are
held by the Guildford Borough Council.
It’s now a pub.
Best wishes,
Emily
Emily Brants
Surrey SMR Officer
Conservation Group
Surrey County Council
County Hall
Kingston-Upon-Thames
Surrey
KT1 2DY
Tel: 020 8541 9083
"Giggins, Brian"
<Brian.Giggins@MILTON-KEY To: [log in to unmask]
NES.GOV.UK> cc:
Sent by: Issues related Subject: Motor carriage works
to Historic Environment
Records
<[log in to unmask]>
10/11/06 12:36
Please respond to Issues
related to Historic
Environment Records
The Aston Martin works at Newport Pagnell in Milton Keynes includes a 3
storey brick building of 6 bays looking very much like a shoe factory with
large cast-iron 5 x 7 camber-headed windows. At ground floor, one gable
had a very larrge opening with a a second, slighly smaller, opening above
at 1st floor level. It was purpose-built in 1910 as part of the motor
carriage works of a company called Salmons & Sons.. Motor manufacturers at
that period seldom put bodies upon the cars they produced bur arranged for
the chassis they built to be delivered to coach makers, such as Salmons,
for the body of the car to be constructed. This 1910 building had an
internal rope lift to take the chassis up to each of the three floors where
the trades involved would carryout their tasks. Needless to say the
building is neither is listed or in a Conservation Area. Local historians
have claimed that this may be the earliest surviving purpose-built motor
carriage works in the country. Are they right?? Would be very interest to
know if you have anything similar, but earlier, in your area.
Regards
Brian Giggins
visit the official Milton Keynes web site at
http://www.mkweb.co.uk/mkcouncil
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