MADE IN BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham's Industrial History Website

THE AUSTIN MOTOR COMPANY

LONGBRIDGE

BIRMINGHAM

Herbert Austin was one of the most important figures in the history of industrial Birmingham. He was not only a very skilled engineer, he was an entrepreneurial visionary who brought volume car production to Birmingham with a company that became one of the cities largest employers.

Herbert Austin was born on the 8th November 1866 at Little Missenden in Buckinghamshire. He was the son of Giles Stephen Austin, a Yorkshire Farmer and Clara Jane Simpson.

He was educated at Rotherham Grammar School and Brampton Commercial College where he studied architecture. In 1882 he emigrated to Melbourne in Australia with his uncle and served an apprenticeship as an engineer at the Langlands Foundry. He went onto work for six other engineering firms.

He married Helen Dron in 1887

In 1893 he was asked by Frederick Wolsey, whose company he was now working for, to return to Birmingham in England to become works manager of the Wolsey Sheep Shearing Company  In 1895 he built his first experimental three wheeler car steered by a tiller, this ranks him as one of the two British motor car pioneers, the other being FW Lanchester.Although a patent disagreement involving the notorious Harry Lawson may have prevented further development until 1896

In 1895 the Wolseley company began to manufacture machine tools, mainly for the cotton industry. Parts for bicycles were also supplied to Birmingham & Coventry cycle firms and even a few bicycles were built at the Alma Street works. The company also acted as an agent, supplying machines built by the Regal Bicycle Company to at least one Australian importer in the 1890s.

In 1893 Austin had seen his first horseless carriage in Paris. Shortly afterwards after developing a patent with H. H. Mulliners, the Northampton coachbuilder, they agreed in principle to combine forces to manufacture horseless carriages. It seems however that Mulliners got a better offer from the Daimler Syndicate and failed to join forces with Austin.

 In 1896 the Wolseley company agreed  to invest £2000 in plant for motor car manufacture under his supervision.

In December 1896 the prototype of his second car, the first true Wolseley, was exhibited at the National Cycle Exhibition at Crystal Palace in London.

In 1899-1900 the third wolseley car was built and this was Wolseley's first first 4 wheeled car

In 1900 Austin entered a four wheel car with a single cylinder engine in for the Automobile Club of Great Britain 1,000 mile challenge and won the Daily Mail first prize.

After this success Austin was approached by Sir Hiram Maxim of the Vickers armament company who were seeking a foothold in the motorcar industry.

Vickers eventually financed the development and  production of Wolseley cars. In February 1901 Vickers registered the Wolseley Tool & Motor Car Company Ltd. The factory was established in the Adderley  works of Vickers which had been purchased by them in 1899.

 Austin also became a founder member of the Midland Automobile Club.

Things however did not progress smoothly with Vickers and by 1905 Austin was involved in a dispute about whether  vertical or horizontal engines were the way forward. Vickers had a new champion in the form of  J D Siddeley of the Siddeley Autocar Company of whom Vickers had a financial interest. Vertical engines were the accepted trend. Vickers however acquired Siddeley in 1905. Exactly what happened next is not completely known but Austin was not happy and is said to have left the works in a huff. Austin's resignation was requested and was submitted by the end of the year. Wolseley subsequently lost nearly £200,000 in the next 4 years.

Austin decided that he needed to both manage and own his own business and he is said to have cycled around Birmingham looking for premises to start his own factory. By September 1905 he had found a derelict factory that had printed tins at Longbridge which was then seven miles from the city of Birmingham. With the help of financial assistance from friends he bought the works and started the Austin Motor Company. Austin went to the Motor Show at Olympia in London and received his first orders.

The first car to be produced at Longbridge was a 25 hp Endcliffe Phaeton which cost £650. 120 cars were manufactured during the first year of production.

In 1908 Austin built three special 100 hp racing cars and entered in the French Grand Prix. The car driven by J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon came fifteenth.

Also in 1908, due to the demand, a night shift at the factory was introduced. Production was increased to a thousand cars per year.

The company expanded into manufacturing marine engines in 1912 and a Saunders of Cowes craft powered by an Austin engine won the British International Trophy.

Austin commenced production of commercial vehicles in 1913 with a two ton lorry.

Austin became a public limited company in  February 1914. Planned expansion was delayed due to the outbreak of the First World War. The factory commenced war work making munitions, vehicles and even aircraft and a grass airfield was built next to the factory. (Now built over by another Austin factory)

The factory trebled in size during the war and a staggering 22,000 people were employed at Longbridge. Austin was knighted for his services to the war effort but tragically his only son was killed in action in France.

After the war in 1918 the factory produced a 30 hp model which cost £495.

Austin became Conservative Member of parliament for Kings Norton, Birmingham in 1924.

In 1920 he began planning a smaller family car and worked on its design with Stanley Edge in the billiard room of Lickey Grange, his house in Bromsgrove. The main board opposed his idea and he financed the project himself. The new car which was called the Austin 7 was unveiled to the public in 1922 was became known as the Chummy. Sales were slow at first even though the car only cost a mere £165. In 1924 the size of the engine was increased and an electric starter was fitted.

Sales gradually increased and by 1926 the company were producing 14,000 per year. In 1928 a new version was introduced and this was nicknamed the Top Hat.

During the 30s there were various improvements made to the Austin 7.

Herbert Austin had become a benefactor to the Birmingham General Hospital and in 1936 he was made a Baron for his philoplilantric works.

In 1939 the factory reverted to war work including the production of Lancaster and Stirling bombers.

On the 23rd May 1941 Herbert Austin died at his home in Lickey Grange at the age of 74 and was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Twatling Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. His wife Helen, who died the following year, is buried next to him in the same plot.

Thankfully Austin did not live to see the mess his company would become due to incompetent management and communist style union activity.

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J