MG's Abingdon Factory

by Brian Moylan

Overview

This book is a pictorial study of the workers who built the legendary line of MG sports cars. With over 160 period photos depicting factory life, car building, and the war effort, this is a fascinating story.

The demand for these fiery little cars exploded, eventually pushing to a massive facility outside of Abingdon. The factory included everything needed to build the vehicles, as well as soccer and cricket fields, a pool hall, and a hockey rink. The facility even had its own volunteer fire department, it was so well developed.

MG Abingdon‘s famous racing reputation gained in the 1930s made it the obvious place to site BMC's Competition department with its maiden venture the 1955 Le Mans 24 hour race.

The many original 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.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787111158
Publisher:	Veloce Publishing
Publication date:	09/19/2017
Series:	Those were the days...
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	8.09(w) x 7.47(h) x 0.31(d)

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 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. Just before the factory closed in 1980 Moylan was offered the position of manager of a small satellite Morris Garages outlet. He 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. Moylan also works closely with the Abingdon Museum setting up MG Exhibitions.

Table of Contents

Introduction     5
Settling in     6
Racing and record-breaking in the 1930s     13
MG at war     21
Renaissance     31
The new era     42
New production methods     53
The ancillary services     66
MG and the trades union     73
The Competitions Department     75
The social club     82
The Golden Jubilee     85
Index     91

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

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.

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.

Editorial Reviews

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.

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.

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.

From the Publisher