Mg’S Abingdon Factory: (Those Were the Days)

The MG, from being a Morris car modified in the corner of a backstreet workshop, evolved into a sports car in its own right. The demand for this fiery little car caused the production to move to four different and progressively larger sites in and around Oxford, finally moving out of the city ten miles away to Abingdon and a factory that might have been custom built for it . This factory was on the site of a tannery that had inflated to over twice its size catering for the 1914-18 wartime demand for its leather products. The coming of peace caused it to deflate back to its previous level of production, leaving empty the rows of large hangars that had housed the wartime production effort. It was to this factory that Cecil Kimber, who had resigned his position as Managing Director of Morris Garages, brought his brain-child that he called the MG. Twin rows of eighteen inch (45cm) high raised tracks were built. The chassis was brought from the workshop where it been made and, after the assembling of its suspension, it was mounted on to the track to start its journey from one stage to the next, finally emerging as a complete motor car. The car would then be tested on the factory _x0019_s own test track before being deemed fit for its eagerly awaiting new owner. The men who took part in the assembling of the car were but a part of the organisation that went toward the finished article. Managers, Office staff, Storemen, Inspectors, Painters, Test drivers, Labourers and cleaners were all members of the great team, all had their part to play. As they worked together so did they play together, ground was obtained for a football pitch, room was found in the town for a snooker club and a place where the men could join for a well earned drink This later developed into a modern Sports Club with football, hockey and cricket pitches. The risk of fire in the factory was always present and to cope with this the factory had its own fire engine and a full time fireman augmented when needed by a volunteer crew of factory workers, who trained in their spare time. MG Abingdon‘s famous racing reputation gained in the 1930s made it the obvious place to site BMCs Competition department with its maiden venture the 1955 Le Mans 24 hour race. The 160, many never seen before, pictures in this book chronicle every aspect of the factory from its opening amidst great euphoria in 1930 to its closing amidst great recriminations in 1980. _x000B_

Table of Contents:
Chapter One. 1-10 Settling in.; Chapter Two 11-24 Racing and Record Breaking in the 1930s; Chapter Three 25-45 MG at War; Chapter Four 46-66 Renaissance; Chapter Five 67-86 The New Era. Chapter Six 87-110 New Production Methods; Chapter Seven 111-123 The Ancillary Services; Chapter Eight 124-125 MG and the Trade Unions; Chapter Nine 126-138 The Competitions Department; Chapter Ten 139-144 The Social club; Chapter Eleven 145-149 The Golden Jubilee; Chapter Twelve 150-156 Demolition.

About the Author :
Brian Moylan started working for MG in 1950 as a mechanic in the service/repair shop. In 1955 he was drafted in to the Racing Department. which was the centre for all BMC competition work. During his time there he was fortunate enough to work on several rally winning Minis including the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winner. Just before the factory closed in 1980 Bryan was offered the position of manager of a small satellite Morris Garages outlet. Bryan has always been involved in the MG Car Club, serving on the committee of the local Centre in various capacities. Since his retirement he has started giving slide shows on MG history and writing articles for the leading Classic Car magazines, plus three books on MG and rally connected subjects. Bryan also works closely with the Abingdon Museum setting up MG Exhibitions and is currently working towards having a permanent exhibition in the Museum. _x000B_

Review :
totalkitcar.com, December 2007UK website and quarterly magazineCirculation: unknownAnother nice little addition to Veloce s Those Were The Days series, and joining similar focuses on Brands Hatch, Crystal Palace, Goodwood and The Brighton Speed Trials. Not intended as an in-depth day-to-day history book, it is nevertheless a nice potted glance at one of Britain s most historic car production plants and a look at the famous Morris Garages models produced there. It succeeds very well, with some nice layouts and superb period photographs, many of which have never been seen before. Marque expert and former MG employee, Brian Moylan, is eminently qualified to tell the story of Abingdon, from its creation in 1930, and enthusiastic production of MG models, which of course were developments of more mundane Morris . Moylan takes us right though the history, with a clear passion and enthusiasm for the subject, right up until the factory closed its gates in 1980. This is a cracking little read and a joyous addition to your bookshelf." New Zealand Classic Car, December 2007 This is another title in Veloce's enjoyable 'Those Were the Days' series.Moylan worked at Abingdon for many years, including a stint in the Competition Department, so this is a view from the inside. He takes the story told in photos from MG taking over the Pavlova Leather Works in 1930, until the plant was closed 50 years later. For much of the plant's history it looked almost like a cottage industry, with lots of hand finishing and arguments over hourly or piece rates. There's even a photo of some fourth-century skeletons that were excavated when the plant was extended!It's an enjoyable and informative look behind the scenes, and includes the racing and record-breaking cars of the '30s, tank building during WWII, road-testing the MGA, crash-testing and various steps in the manufacturing and inspection processes.An enjoyable book for MG fans who want to know how and where some of their favorite cars were put together." totalkitcar.com, December 2007 UK website and quarterly magazine Circulation: unknown Another nice little addition to Veloce's 'Those Were The Days' series, and joining similar focuses on Brands Hatch, Crystal Palace, Goodwood and The Brighton Speed Trials. Not intended as an in-depth day-to-day history book, it is nevertheless a nice potted glance at one of Britain's most historic car production plants and a look at the famous Morris Garages models produced there. It succeeds very well, with some nice layouts and superb period photographs, many of which have never been seen before. Marque expert and former MG employee, Brian Moylan, is eminently qualified to tell the story of Abingdon, from its creation in 1930, and enthusiastic production of MG models, which of course were developments of more mundane Morris'. Moylan takes us right though the history, with a clear passion and enthusiasm for the subject, right up until the factory closed its gates in 1980. This is a cracking little read and a joyous addition to your bookshelf. New Zealand Classic Car, December 2007 This is another title in Veloce's enjoyable 'Those Were the Days' series. Moylan worked at Abingdon for many years, including a stint in the Competition Department, so this is a view from the inside. He takes the story - told in photos - from MG taking over the Pavlova Leather Works in 1930, until the plant was closed 50 years later. For much of the plant's history it looked almost like a cottage industry, with lots of hand finishing and arguments over hourly or piece rates. There's even a photo of some fourth-century skeletons that were excavated when the plant was extended! It's an enjoyable and informative look behind the scenes, and includes the racing and record-breaking cars of the '30s, tank building during WWII, road-testing the MGA, crash-testing and various steps in the manufacturing and inspection processes. An enjoyable book for MG fans who want to know how and where some of their favorite cars were put together. Healey Marque, January 2008 Review by Reid Trummel Official publication of the Austin-Healey Club of America UK publisher Veloce has introduced another new series of publications, this one titled 'Those were the days ...', and 'MG's Abingdon Factory' heads the list that also includes the titles 'The Brighton National Speed Trials', 'Motor Racing at Brands Hatch in the Seventies', 'Motor Racing at Crystal Palace - London's Own Circuit', and 'Motor Racing at Oulton Park in the 1960s'. Author Brian Moylan started working for MG in 1950 as a mechanic in the service/repair shop. In 1955 he was drafted into the Racing Department, which was the center for all BMC competition work. During his time there he was fortunate enough to work on several rally-winning Minis including the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winner. This book is a pictorial study of men and women drawn from all parts of the country to this little-known rural town to take part in the building of a motor car. These workers were a mixture of skilled people from the depressed areas of England and Wales, together with the few MG car workers who made the journey with the MG from Oxford to Abingdon with its largely farming community. This mixture coalesced to become a workforce that built a legend. The book's 160 photos include many taken by employees and previously kept in private collections. They reveal the many facets of everyday factory life, and illustrate the willingness of the employees to adapt to change, including the little-known work carried out during the war. The captions reveal an intimate knowledge of the subjects, forming an important record of MG history. Obviously centered on the MG, the book is none the less also of interest to those with an interest in Healey history as this is where the majority of big Healeys, and very nearly all Sprites, were built, 1957-1970. Healey Marque, January 2008Review by Reid TrummelOfficial publication of the Austin-Healey Club of AmericaUK publisher Veloce has introduced another new series of publications, this one titled 'Those were the days ...', and 'MG's Abingdon Factory' heads the list that also includes the titles 'The Brighton National Speed Trials', 'Motor Racing at Brands Hatch in the Seventies', 'Motor Racing at Crystal Palace London's Own Circuit', and 'Motor Racing at Oulton Park in the 1960s'.Author Brian Moylan started working for MG in 1950 as a mechanic in the service/repair shop. In 1955 he was drafted into the Racing Department, which was the center for all BMC competition work. During his time there he was fortunate enough to work on several rally-winning Minis including the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winner.This book is a pictorial study of men and women drawn from all parts of the country to this little-known rural town to take part in the building of a motor car. These workers were a mixture of skilled people from the depressed areas of England and Wales, together with the few MG car workers who made the journey with the MG from Oxford to Abingdon with its largely farming community. This mixture coalesced to become a workforce that built a legend.The book's 160 photos include many taken by employees and previously kept in private collections. They reveal the many facets of everyday factory life, and illustrate the willingness of the employees to adapt to change, including the little-known work carried out during the war. The captions reveal an intimate knowledge of the subjects, forming an important record of MG history.Obviously centered on the MG, the book is none the less also of interest to those with an interest in Healey history as this is where the majority of big Healeys, and very nearly all Sprites, were built, 1957-1970."