Former David Brown (aston martin DB series) factory in Farsley

[DerekJ]

HiI know it is a long time since anyone posted.I've been researching my family history and have come across a photo that proves that DB2 were built at Farsley.I've put it onto my website as it is easier to keep up to there. It may move on the website so look around.http://www.99b.co.uk/B6History/FamilyHi ... rsley.htmI vaguely remember going there with my father, along Newlands and across some ground.It looks like perhaps David Brown rented part of the Cohen 600 factory. I remember the tunnel underneath the factory.I'm sure my father worked on preparing DBs for racing at Farsley.I know he did go to Le Mans for a 24 hours race. But I'm not sure if with David Brown or earlier with Jowett Jupiters.

[majorhoundii]

DerekJ wrote: HiI know it is a long time since anyone posted.I've been researching my family history and have come across a photo that proves that DB2 were built at Farsley.I've put it onto my website as it is easier to keep up to there. It may move on the website so look around.http://www.99b.co.uk/B6History/FamilyHi ... rsley.htmI vaguely remember going there with my father, along Newlands and across some ground.It looks like perhaps David Brown rented part of the Cohen 600 factory. I remember the tunnel underneath the factory.I'm sure my father worked on preparing DBs for racing at Farsley.I know he did go to Le Mans for a 24 hours race. But I'm not sure if with David Brown or earlier with Jowett Jupiters. I wonder where they put the ejector seat and machine guns in?

[buffaloskinner]

Just read this in the Farsley Squeaker

ASTON MARTIN FESTIVAL
September 5, 2015

Farsley Celtic will be hosting the start of Aston Martin event on 5th September
A festival to celebrate Farsley's connection with the famous Aston Martin brand will take place on Saturday 5th September with the event commencing at Throstle Nest. The procession of vehicles will depart from the club at 10.00am.


Taken from the Farsley Squeaker

Stuart Gibbard looks at Farsley’s contribution to the production of Aston Martin cars and David Brown tractors, which will be celebrated on the 5th September.


Before Aston Martin decamped to its famous Newport Pagnell home, Newlands Works at Farsley was one of its most important facilities; vital for both the manufacture of its engines and assembly of its cars. The lease for the Farsley premises, formerly a wartime munitions factory, had been acquired by David Brown in July 1947.

David Brown was one of the world’s largest gear manufacturers with its headquarters at Park Works in Huddersfield. Its tractor division, created in 1939, operated from a former cotton mill in Meltham. Aston Martin and Lagonda were also added to the David Brown portfolio in 1947. As the tractor and car divisions had been privately financed out of Mr (later Sir) David Browns own pocket, both were closely linked. During the early post-war years, David Brown Tractors Ltd needed to expand its manufacturing facilities at Meltham Mills, but was restricted by government policy. Rather than grant the necessary licences and release materials for new buildings, the Board of Trade encouraged firms to move into the wartime shadow factories that were now lying empty across the country.

David Brown was offered redundant factories as far apart as Lincoln, Leamington Spa and Yeadon. Eventu¬ally, the company chose Farsley as the best option for the satellite production of farm implements, moving into Newlands Works, a single-storey complex that had been erected by the Ministry of Supply in 1941 to make light shells and aircraft wings.

After David Brown acquired the lease, teams of engineers and maintenance men from Meltham began clearing out the buildings and installing machine tools. With the need to get implement production flowing as soon as possible, the teams worked 12-hour shifts around the clock. Amazingly, they had the factory ready for manufacturing to begin, albeit on a limited basis, in a little over a week.

By early 1948, the output at Farsley had trebled with implement production, including ploughs, cultivators, ridgers and mowers, extending to about 250 machines per week. The staff of around 150 was recruited mainly from the Leeds area, but with some seconded from the Meltham plant.

In 1950, implement production was moved to Heckmondwike and Newlands Works became the main production centre for tractor engines and the LB6 power unit for the new Aston DB2. The production manager was Douglas Booth with Godwin Atkinson as his line foreman.

Aston Martins headquarters was at Feltham in Middlesex, but this facility was becoming increasingly occupied with design, service and race-car preparation. Therefore, it was decided to move Aston road-car production to Farsley. From 1953, Newlands Works took over assembly of the new DB2/4 cars, fitting bodies designed by Mulliners of Birmingham to chassis fabricated at St Andrews Road in Huddersfield. During 1954, a new extension was erected at Farsley to house an engine test section. The building contained seventeen dynamometer test beds and nine running-in beds for tractor engines, and three test beds and one running-in bed for the car engines. The Aston engines were tested to 8,000 rpm in sound-insulated cubicles with the concrete bases of the beds set in cork to reduce | vibration.

Newlands Works was now a hive of activity with a staff of between 300 and 400, many of which had been previously employed by Jowett Cars of Bradford and J&H McLaren of Leeds. The general manager was Frank Hough and the operation came under the control of Vincent Gallagher, who held senior management positions at both Aston Martin and David Brown Tractors Ltd.

Tractor engine production peaked at around 600 units per week with two lorries running between Farsley and Meltham 24 hours a day. The assembly of the Aston engines was a little less hurried and accounted for just five or six units per week, which matched car production running at around 23 per month. The cars were completely assembled and trimmed at Newlands Works and then test-driven locally before being signed off by the inspector, Johnny Duckworth, an ex-Jowett man. They were then driven to Feltham for their final inspection.

During 1954, David Brown acquired the coachbuilders, Tickford Ltd, and its works at Newport Pagnell, which became Aston's new headquarters. Newlands Works continued to supply the rolling chassis for the DB2/4 Mk 11 and Mk 111 models, which were then shipped to Newport Pagnell for the bodies to be fitted. The rolling chassis were test driven at Farsley fitted with makeshift open bodies fabricated from wood — the drivers attired in white coats, goggles and flat caps with the peaks turned to the back for better aerodynamics! Provided the cars could reach 90 mph in third while going up the hill to Rodley, they would be signed off.

David Brown's ten-year lease on Newlands Works ended in 1957 and wasn't renewed. A final batch of 100 rolling chassis for the DB2/4 Mk 111 were prepared at Farsley as stock for production to begin at Newport Pagnell. Aston engine manufacture was also transferred to the Tickford works, and the tractor engines moved back to Meltham. The lease was surrendered in October, and Farsley's association with Aston Martin and David Brown came to a close.

Stuart Gibbard, David Brown Historian

[liits]

I never knew that David Brown and Aston Martin were the same company. Tractors and luxury cars, didn't Lamborghini do the same thing?
Going back a few years, I remember reading an article that ranked Aston Martin one place above the Yugo [that's how long a go it was] as the most unreliable car in production. Now that Yugo's are "Yougone", I wonder where that leaves Aston Martin?

[buffaloskinner]

Were'nt the Lada's and Yugo's the Rolls Royces of the former Soviet Union?
I always recall the Auf Wiedersehen Pet where Barry's (Tim Spall) brother in law is importing Lada's and refurbishing them to return to Vladivostok. Although Barry was unaware they were importing drugs hidden in the cars, which probably made them the most expensive car in the world.

[trophy]

i think the 90mph hill refered to was from rodley to horsforth?

[buffaloskinner]

Here is a link to a report in the YEP about Saturdays Aston Martin parade in Farsley village

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-7440837

[Keg]

I'm not suprised to hear the David Brown used Leeds to build Aston Martin cars - he was after all a Yorkshireman owning a gear making company in Huddersfield which is still trading today but owned by the Textron Group.As far as I'm aware though, and having asked a friend of the family who worked at Newport Pagnall, only chassis were produced at a Farsley/Rodley as well as variety of other David Brown sites. He says that full and final production (including chassis) took place at Newport Pagnall from 1954 - prior to this time it had been in Feltham.Perhaps Rodley was used as a "remote" engineering/service depot for "The North"?David Brown also had facilities just outside Pool in Wharfedale and, apparently, kept a plane at Leeds Bradford.    

The Browns outside Pool was Fred Brown, a local farmer and contractor. He was the UK agent for Moxy plant. The aircraft was G-MOXY and it also flew oil men to Norway.

From this, Brown Air started.

No connection to Aston or David Brown tractors at all.

[buffaloskinner]

Here is a link to the Farsley Squeaker newsletter on the Aston Martin factory

http://www.flipsnack.com/edition/squeaker-32.html

There is also a round up of the great day on their website

http://www.thesqueaker.co.uk/community%20news%20a.htm

Also a roundup in the YEP

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-7446653

and Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/farsleyvillage ... 06/?type=1

[buffaloskinner]

PRESTIGE sports car brand Aston Martin’s historic links to a west Leeds village will once again be celebrated next month. Dozens of members of the Aston Martin Owners Club are set to drive their beloved cars to the village of Farsley near Pudsey for the celebration day on Saturday September 10.

Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-8064246