Longbridge was commissioned for an underground factory. It is 386 meters long and stretches from lickey road over to the railway on the opposite side of the factory. Page 23 of 31 longbridge tunnel mini posted in introduce yourself. The longbridge innovation centre and devon way were completed in 2007, followed by manufacturing units at the cofton centre a year later. The longbridge factory has grown over the years, but is split up into four main areas. Longbridge mg rover manufacturing plant in uk factory tour. The shadow factory tunnels under birminghams longbridge site are the remnants of lord austins secret plans that were hatched to bolster. The tunnels escapes under the berlin wall and the historic films the jfk white house tried to kill by greg mitchell illustrated. The administrator of personal data is longbridge management sp. Sep 19, 2012 video taken not long before the flight shed and surrounding works have been demolished. Opened in 1905, by the late 1960s longbridge employed around 25,000 workers, building cars including the original mini. The longbridge works of the austin motor company is situated seven miles south of birmingham on the main road that runs from the city centre to worcester. Longbridge plant since 1906, the area has been dominated by the longbridge plant, which produced austin, nash metropolitan, morris, british leyland, and most recently mg rover cars. Our members enjoy good times together on weekend rallies, bank holiday rallies and holiday rallies, so why not come along and join us.
New life for longbridge transformation of iconic factory into youth space. Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan birmingham, west midlands, england, 9 miles 14. Over a period of some ninety years the name of the firm operating from the longbridge factory has changed many times. The tunnels were once full of simlar cars all probably with much more interesting stories but after a fire down there most of the tunnels were cleared out. Report the longbridge tunnels, birmingham november. In 1936, and aswel as the shadow factories that existed, an extensive network of tunnels began construction. For a freebie it is a really good day out, it starts off with a short presentation about lord austin,the history of longbridge and the future plans under chinese ownership.
Most of the longbridge site is currently being redeveloped, the remaining buildings still standing are owned by the. Metal sign on a railway bridge beside the rover factory at longbridge, now demolished, birmingham which says god bless you both an advertisement poster outside the mg rover longbridge factory. Coventrys longforgotten underground tunnels coventrylive. Unique mg and rover prototypes could be scrapped as part. Return to longbridge eastworks tunnels urban exploration. Since 1906, the area has been dominated by the longbridge plant, which produced austin, nash metropolitan, morris, british leyland, and most recently mg rover cars. Page 2 of 3 clubman in the longbridge tunnels posted in mini chat. There were three flutes and rectangular sides that went to the floor, with a sweeping cutout for the handbrake. Haunting photographs reveal how longbridge mg rover plant. If youve ever fancied visiting longbridge for a factory tour, nows your opportunity. The east works was built upon a 15 acre site bounded by groveley lane and lowhill lane from 1936 onwards, as part of the governments shadow factory.
During the second world war a complex of tunnels was built under austins longbridge factory, in which manufacturing for the war effort took place. Back in the 2005, when urban exploration was new and exciting, the sprawling longbridge. The old trentham tunnel system, photographed in 2007, that stretched under the main austin rover car factory in longbridge, birmingham, uk. The longbridge factory has grown over the years, but is split up into four main. Clubman in the longbridge tunnels page 2 mini chat. Lickey road where the cars of mg rover workers used to be doubleparked outside the factory, is now a smart housing estate, just up from the retail park. In 1994 bmw bought rover and the longbridge plant passed into bmws hands. A battered mini clubman that lay in the tunnels under birminghams longbridge factory for 30 years making it the last mini to leave the site is being offered for sale by auction. Longbridge tunnels, birmingham aug 20 derelict places. These tunnels are filled with creepy car parts, deadly beams and plenty. The factory became dormant, and some parts of the older sections of the site were demolished after mg rover fell into. Buy making cars at longbridge 9780750965293 by gillian. Dec 02, 2014 blackout below birmingham in the abandoned wwii tunnels copy link facebook twitter reddit flipboard pocket entrance to the longbridge tunnels all photographs by the author. Some believe there may still be factory tunnels and underground production facilities in parts of coventry, similar to the shadow factory tunnels beneath longbridge in birmingham.
The final mini to leave the longbridge factory sells for. Everybody out longbridge finally grinds to a halt autocar. The shadow factory tunnels are the remnants of lord austins secret plans that were hatched to bolster british military might in the face of german military aggression in the arms race that led up to the start. View information about longbridge railway stationlob, including map and location information. The site now known as the longbridge plant was once an area of farmland between lickey road, lowhill lane, and the mainline railways.
The first plane off the production line had the following ref. Image caption the mini clubman was found in a tunnel under the longbridge plant. The factory has been a major employer and an integral part of the local community since its foundation. This clubman has been rescued from the longbridge tunnels, making it the last new mini to leave the factory. Mg motor uk is opening its gates for twohour tours of the facility starting on 15 march. Yes we went through the production line running, and they were building the new mgs six.
He may have rolled out of the longbridge factory doors some 32 years after alec issigonis iconic design first went on sale in 1959 but, despite a. My fathers store and other stories by mary ann lichaczkarwatsky. Blackout below birmingham in the abandoned wwii tunnels. In an earlier post somebody mentioned how the owner of the last mini which left longbridge is going to be pissed. Longbridge plant news newspapers books scholar jstor december 2015 learn how and when to remove this template. May 21, 2017 by 1915 sidings had been laid to connect the factory to the branch and thence to the bristol to gloucester main line. The eerie factory tunnels safe from german bombers where. Final longbridge factory mini sold at auction bbc news.
The longbridge tunnel mini clubman 1275gt heads to auction. Every nook and cranny of the factory found itself in use even down to the mysterious ww2 tunnels, which were used for the storage of anything from discarded tools to preproduction prototype cars. Offering multilevel obstacle maze, ball blast area, racer. The german hospital, jersey and its entombed workers. Mg is planning to scrap a collection of unique prototypes, hailed as an important part of the history of britains motor industry, as part of its plans to downsize the former rover factory at. After the war, the factory returned to producing automobiles and the tunnels were abandoned. Photos courtesy silverstone auctions for decades, the last mini from british leylands former longbridge plant near birmingham, england, sat abandoned in the maze of tunnels below the massive factory, its roof staved in by an unfortunate encounter with a shipping container. Production at the longbridge plant in birmingham was massively scaled back after mg rover collapsed in 2005 meaning that the factory has been almost entirely unused over the past decade. Workers used the mini clubman 1275 gt to travel around the car plant. The store serves people from the locales of rednal, rubery, longbridge, hopwood, cofton hackett, frankley, turves green and northfield. Photos courtesy silverstone auctions for decades, the last mini from british leylands former longbridge plant near birmingham, england, sat abandoned in the maze of tunnels below the massive factory. By the late 1960s, the longbridge plant was the second largest car plant in the world, employing some. Page 3 of 31 longbridge tunnel mini posted in introduce yourself.
The factory 5 devon way longbridge birmingham b31 2ts west midlands phone 0121 464 8850. Buy making cars at longbridge by gillian bardsley, colin corke isbn. Longbridge tunnels, birmingham aug 20 i popped down a couple of weeks ago without my camera and decided to pop back down technically i was on 1 10 so this is a dinner hour visit the entry is starting to get a bit dodgy, someone has gone through one of the bottom steps and one of the steps higher up started to crumble below my foot which. Longbridge shadow factory tunnels july 20 01 july 20 posted in exploring by tomr permalink the east works was built upon a 15 acre site bounded by groveley lane and lowhill lane from 1936 onwards, as part of the governments shadow factory. Lavishly illustrated with unique images from the official company archive, this book charts more than 100 years of carmaking at the longbridge factory, near birmingham. Longbridge underground tunnels east works about time i shared theseaaaaaprobably the most interesting site iave ever visited to document. The origins of the longbridge works are a tin printing and box manufacturing works built by the birmingham company of white. Longbridge in birmingham, once the site of the largest manufacturing plant in the world, could be transformed into a new place for young people through the myplace initiative, a multimillion pound government programme.
Last longbridge mini found decaying in a tunnel for sale. Longbridge plant is an industrial complex in longbridge, birmingham, england, currently. Eerie images have revealed the abandoned remains of an underground factory in birmingham where engines that powered the spitfire planes. Bridge bookshop in port erin and ramsey are places where you can browse our carefully selected range of manx books, childrens books, new titles, art supplies sheet music and now, after a rest of 30 years, new vinyl albums. A decaying mini clubman that lay hidden in the tunnels under the longbridge factory for 30 years, making it the last mini to leave the famous site, is being put up for auction. Ive no doubt nissan sunderland is an advanced factory and a well deserved success story but what lazy comparison with longbridge of the. Again, credit to all those who have managed to gain access to any of the networks underneath longbridge prior to this visit. The tunnels today are now locked and are not accessible to the. Longbridge was commissioned for an underground factory, which was built underneath groveley lane, where aircraft engines and associated components were assembled during ww2.
Longbridge railway station map and location information. Nov 15, 20 check out my latest video of inside these tunnels that used to belong to the old austin car factory, anyone wishing to visit these tunnels is asked to be very careful as they are now. If you look at the mg uk website they offer free factory tours, so electricdave and i went along for a visit. Inside the eerie factory tunnels safe from german bombers daily mail. Families, businesses, students longbridge birmingham is a place with a proud heritage and an exciting future for us all.
Longbridge plant is an industrial complex in longbridge, birmingham, england, currently leased by saic as a research and development facility for its mg motor subsidiary. Longbridge shadow tunnels birmingham october 2018 history the shadow factory tunnels are the remnants of lord austins secret plans that were hatched to bolster british military might in the face of german military aggression in the arms race that led up to the start of the second world war. Rover longbridge, tunnel exposed by demolition work the demolition works have exposed one of the tunnels which ran underneath the factory. South works where it all began, then north works, west works and finally east works. Longbridge photos, maps, books, memories francis frith. But longbridge is on its way back the giant plant, focus of the british car industry during the tumultuous 1970s, is being recreated as a town of 2,000 homes and. The austin motor co ltd at longbridge was given a contract to build 1029 planes at the new shadow factory east works in 1938. The next great longbridgebuilt small car was rolledout in 1959. The story i heard about this car is that it fell off the production line and the useful bits stripped or robbed off it and then left down the tunnels.
These abandoned mg rover tunnels at the longbridge plant are crazy. Longbridge underground tunnels in 1936, and aswel as the shadow factories that existed, an extensive network of tunnels began construction. Track valley of the shadows artist origin unknown big tune. The tunnels under the south works were primarily intended as air raid shelters and were capable of holding 15,000 workers while the tunnels under the east works were primarily intended for manufacturing of bristol aero engines and machining, there was also an ambulance station in the east tunnels. Mini clubman found decaying in a longbridge tunnel to be sold at. This selfexplanatory name is one commonly found across the country. Thank you for your continued support in these difficult times. The mini clubman was used for testing purposes by bl and the underground tunnels were used during the war military production years and then in later years mainly for storage and testing purposes i think.
Longbridge trading house, the specialist in nanotechnology. For years, photos confirmed what mini enthusiasts knew. The tunnels which ran beneath austin rovers longbridge plant are mostly all that is left of the plant. B31 voices longbridge tunnels in pictures mail online. Longbridge underground tunnels birmingham history forum. This haunting shot shows part of the body painting line. Introduction the origins of the longbridge works are a tin printing and box manufacturing works built by the birmingham company of white and pike ltd. Longbridge tunnel mini page 3 introduce yourself the. Reduction of friction in motors, resulting in fuel savings, co2 and nox reduction. This was purchased by printing company pike and white, who built a factory. Inside the eerie abandoned longbridge rover car factory in.
In subsequent years, the tunnels were a convenient place. File photo dated 2581959 of the assembly line at the british motor corporations longbridge. The factory is a modern, state of the art youth provision, located in longbridge, south birmingham and is part of the birmingham city council youth service. Final longbridge factory mini sold at auction 28 july 20 bbc. Transport links to and from the factory were limited as the original longbridge station on the main line had closed as far back as 1849. The shadow factory tunnels are what remain of lord austins secret plans that were created to increase the force of the british military against the german military aggression in the arms race that led up to the start of the second world war. I spoke today to one of the many onsite contractors who worked on the utilities of the longbridge factory. Longbridge tour an account of a visit to the longbridge works in 1929. Mini clubman found decaying in a longbridge tunnel to be. I was amazed that there are underground tunnels at the rover site ww2 bunkers and work shops i think, not a lot of infomation on them as it was a millitary installation, also there was tunnels at the old rubery hospital just up the road i think they linked up. Rover should have had a quick look around before announcing it however nothing really wrong with the last rover mini in 2000 still being known as the last mini manufactured at longbridge.
Published by culture vannin, using stunning photography, most of which has been specially commissioned for the book, charles guard explores the more unusual aspects of the manx landscape including the hidden explosives factory at cornaa, an old chemical works below maughold head, secret vaults and tunnels. However, after a few years and it was sold to the phoenix consortium in a management buyout, for the princely sum of. The centre provides a multitude of activities and opportunities for young people aged 1025, from weekly youth club programmes and events to a range of services and support that young. Longbridge tunnel mini clubman to be auctioned bbc news. He said a full survey had been carried out on the underground parts. Sep 27, 2016 a huge car factory lies frozen time eleven years after it was shut suddenly.
This historical documentary series was filmed some time ago. Visitors will be able to learn more about mg, thanks to a factory. Card factory, which is part of longbridge town centre, is located on austin avenue, about a 7. The bn 1 with its aluminum tunnel had a straightforward saddletype armrest that began where the tunnel carpet ended and ran back to the heelboard, with a length of 19. The longbridge plant in birmingham, west midlands, was once a powerhouse employing 25,000 workers. The factory, longbridge, birmingham, united kingdom.
The use of tunnels on factory sites is away of keeping utility pipework out of. By the late 1960s, the longbridge plant was the second largest car plant in the world. Building a vibrant new community to inspire the next generation. Since our office and factory are in a rural area, our staff travel to work individually by car and we have enough space to maintain social distancing, so in consultation with our staff, we have decided to remain open for business unless government policy changes. The long bridge here carried the bristol road across the river rea and may have been built when the bromsgrove turnpike was set up in 1727. Austin car factory longbridge birmingham stock photos. A car hidden for more than 30 years after being left in a tunnel under the factory where it was built is to be. A battered mini clubman that lay in the tunnels under birminghams longbridge factory for 30 years making it the last mini to leave the site. Mar 28, 2016 nowadays, the longbridge site bears little resemblance to the thriving car plant that once proudly dominated the landscape. The shadow factory tunnels under birminghams longbridge site are the remnants of lord austins secret plans that were hatched.
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