Birmingham Car Factories: The Home of the Sherpa

[coalnotdole]

As its no where near as well known as the famous longbridge works I'll outline a bit of history for this site. Its not as well known as it was much smaller Factory.

 

The works at Ward End were built in 1914 making vehicles and ammunition for the first world war, In 1919 it was bought by Wolseley who used the site to produce their cars until 1927 when they were bought by Morris, Ward E was then producing vehicles for both marques. During the Second world war the factory again made munitions and vehicles seeing rapid expansion of the site. post war they were making body shells for morris vehicles including the morris minor though I don't know if final cars were completed here.

 

In 1972 during a reorganisation of its factories British Leyland transferred production of vans to Ward End beginning with the old Morris J4 and JU Types. At the time BL were looking for a new design to rival the popular Transit and in 1974 production stared on the famous Sherpa. A van that the factory effectively produced for the next 30 years finally ending its long production run in 2006.

 

The company trading under the LDV name since the 1989 when it was split off from the rest of the rover group and was owned by a string of parent companies. When the factory closed in 2009 it was producing the Maxus Van which was co developed with Daewoo before they went bust and LDV put the Maxus into production on its own.

 

As the recession bit LDV's owners hit financial problems and a prospective buyer for the firm Weststar failed to raise the funds to buy the company. The assets of the company were bought up from the administrators by a Chinese firm called Eco Concepts directed by Dr Qu Li. A woman who had a shady reputation for her dealings with the Phoenix 4 while acting as an "advisor" for MG Rover.

 

Eco Concepts repeated the process that they had done at Longbridge asset stripping the pant and equipment of value, the British Clearing Presses were sent to china shortly after these photos were taken.

 

Offices fronting the road Built when the factory was owned by Wolseley I've been told its listed.

 

 

Side gate:

 

 

Car park, building at the back left I think housed the Sherpa production line the Buildings on the right are where the Maxus was made untill recently

 

 

Store for pressing moulds

 

 

Pressing shop

 

 

 

Press

 

 

Line of Presses

 

 

British Clearing were a brand of the Well known company Metropoitain Vickers.

 

 

 

Lower Level below the presses,

 

 

Scrap converyor

 

 

Maxus Chassis in the welding bay

 

 

Spot Welder

 

 

Painted chassis, waiting to be scrapped.

 

 

Welded van pre-paint

 

 

Welding line:

 

 

Nose section on jig.

 

 

The following photos show the sherpa line which I think had been in this state since production stopped in 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More photos of British factories can be found here: http://www.industrialbritain.co.uk/gallery.html

 

Ps If theres interest I could post some up of the Lucas factory?

[Alexg]

almost makes me cry

[dollywobbler]

almost makes me cry

 

Indeed. Did my college work experience on the LDV 400 production line. Still remember sharing ciggies with the line workers. Good, funny people.

[Cavcraft]

almost makes me cry

 

Glad you said that as you're not alone. What a waste of years of production and all the jobs that went with it from a once proud company. The pictures are mint, I can almost smell that aroma that engineering shops always give off just from looking at the excellent pictures.

[ashmicro]

almost makes me cry

 

 

Likewise. I know what Billy's talking about, the smell. Drilled metal and hot oil. Reminds me of the time I was in the Siemens Gas Turbine manufacturing plant in Lincoln (formerly Alstom). FOREN, I know, but that smell, gents and ladies, was the smell that built The British Empire.

 

Absolutely outstanding photographs, top drawer.

[garethj]

What a crying shame, yes please for the Lucas factory pics!

[Lankytim]

Great pics there, many thanks for posting them up.

 

It gets me annoyed, once a car/van factory is gone, its gone- you can't just magic it back when it becomes economic to make vehicles again. Decades of history and industry down the pan forever .

 

Nevermind, atleast the Chinese have profited from the death of our industries yet again..

 

O.K, I'm no professor of industry, but thats how I see it all!

[Lord Sterling]

Wow, amazing photos yet very sad at the same time, I remember seeing the report on Central News (Or whatever they call it these days) when the guys lost thier jobs, they looked seriously forlorn. It is sad to see that the industrial heart of Brum has been ripped out and the workforce left on the jobless pile.

 

I've worked in similar type factories around Brum but nothing entirely vehicle-related so looking at those photos bring some sort of memories. When I see photos like that I can almost here the press machinary working away, the heat of hot machinary and the mixture of industrial chemicals and oil smells. I wouldnt mind going there and having a look myself.

[Alexg]

Hey CND, I nicked a bit off one of your photos for my avatar if thats ok. It made me LOL

[Gompo]

Proper thread, your input is appreciated.

 

Cheers.

[Pillock]

Aaah yes, the smell of engineering. In fact that looks like a proper British factory. Doesn't take a lot of imagination to picture a bloke with a hammer making something "fit".

Sad times. A newly painted shell that'll probably be wearing a Hotpoint badge now.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Great pics, nice one. I've never seen that 'Wolseley building' before, it looks ace.

 

Whenever I drive past the Post Office garage in Stoke and see the rows of battered Sherpas and Maxuses I feel mega sad now. RIP LDV U R ALWYS IN R HARTS xxxxxxxxxx

[RedSparrow]

Thanks for these, really interesting.

 

So is the place still sitting empty with all this equipment in it? What a bloody waste.

[Guest Len H]

The photos were taken over a year ago, the production lines were shipped out to China.

 

From aronline:

 

The production equipment from the former LDV factory in Washwood Heath, Birmingham has now been put into containers and shipped to the city of Wuxi in Jiangsu Province. Nanjing Automobile Corporation’s (NAC) factory in Wuxi was originally where production of the Seat Ibiza Mk1-based Soyat range was located. However, Soyat production ended when SAIC Motor took over NAC in early 2008 and it now seems that the LDV Maxus van is going back into production under SAIC Motor’s watch in Wuxi.