Maudslay Records in the Coventry Transport Museum archive

Dave Butler, Archive Volunteer.

The Maudslay Motor Company was established in 1901 by Cyril Maudslay, whose ancestors had for many years owned and run the firm of Maudslay, Sons and Field, famous throughout the 19^th century as builders of boilers and engines for ships.  The motor company’s premises were at Parkside, Coventry.  Cars, lorries and buses were produced until the outbreak of the First World War, when the company ceased car production and concentrated on commercial vehicles.  In the early 1950s, production moved to Alcester and the Parkside premises were closed. 

Coventry Transport Museum has two Maudslay cars, a lorry and a bus on display, and some of the company’s records from the Parkside era are held in the museum’s archive.  Archive volunteer Dave Butler has been examining two of these records in detail.

The first volume is an album of cuttings from various newspapers and magazines, covering the period from the mid-1870s to 1931.  We believe that it was kept by Walter Henry Maudslay who was the chairman and managing director of Maudslay, Sons and Field until the company’s demise in 1900, although a few items date from after his death in 1927.  A good number of these are articles about the company and its products – a fast crossing of the Atlantic by Maudslay engined ships, engines for new warships for the Turkish Navy, a small railway locomotive and of course the various cars.

As well as articles about the Maudslay
company, the book includes personal items
including drawings by younger members
of the Maudslay family.

Perhaps more interesting, however, are the numerous articles about the Maudslay family – weddings, births, funerals and obituaries, letters, and children’s poems and drawings.  The articles suggest that prior to the First World War the Maudslays had a comfortable position in society, being reasonably wealthy and moving in what we would describe as an upper middle class circle. 

W H Maudslay leased an estate in Ireland for a number of years, and several cuttings reflect how the political unrest, both local and national, affected this. During the First World War there are several references to family members and acquaintances in receipt of gallantry awards, although fortunately for the family no member seems to have been killed in action. 

The second volume is a similar album of cuttings, but this one appears to have been the Maudslay Motor Company’s official press cuttings file.  The cuttings in this volume concentrate on the company’s products, mainly the cars, but there are also a few articles on the engines which the company built for marine work.  Also included are several accounts of a journey in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) using a Maudslay car, which must have been quite an adventure in the early 1900s.

We’re hoping to feature some of these articles in future blog entries, so watch this space!

How a Wolverhampton Music Hall could hold the key to part of Coventry's cycling heritage

Coventry Transport Museum Curator Damien Kimberley is currently working on his third book about the Coventry transport industry - having already published titles on the motorcycle manufacturers of Coventry, and more recently the city's motorcar companies, it is now time for him to tackle the biggest and most complex project of all – the cycle manufacturers. 

Rowley B. Turner on a Michaux-type velocipede

For his latest book, which Damien hopes will be completed and published during 2014, he has taken on the mammoth task of trying to give an account of every cycle manufacturer that has ever existed in Coventry.  Damien has been researching these companies 'on and off' for about eight years, but work on this book has really ramped up over the past few months. 

As Damien describes below, this ambitious project is already leading him down surprising (and often frustrating) avenues of research:

The production of bicycles in Coventry is where it all began; the motor industry developing off the back of it, and eventually, displacing it altogether.

Bicycle manufacture began in the city in late 1868, when Rowley B. Turner brought a Michaux-type velocipede from Paris to the works of the Coventry Sewing Machine Company (CSMC) at King Street. Rowley was the CSMC agent in France, and nephew of Josiah Turner, one of the CSMC managing directors. After much deliberation, he convinced his uncle and fellow directors to accept a large order to manufacture copies of the Michaux machine, to sell back in France. The CSMC then had to change their articles of association, and changed the title of the business to the Coventry Machinists Company (CMC), and the manufacture of bicycles ensued. The CMC have been widely acknowledged as the first company in Britain to mass produce bicycles.

The Coventry Machinists Company

Prior to this, Coventry had been famous for making ribbons and watches, amongst other things, yet these trades had been in steep decline over several years and many citizens were on the poverty line. The production of bicycles was fantastic in terms of creating employment, yet it did not develop as quickly as some may assume.

Many men who were engaged at the CSMC at the time of the introduction of Turner's French velocipede, gained experience and knowledge of this new trade, and left to establish their own cycle manufacturing businesses. However, this was not instantaneous, and many maintained the manufacture of sewing machines also – a product with which they were far more familiar.

James Starley was one of the first to leave the services of the CMC, soon joined by William Hillman, and at St. John’s Street in 1870 they created the ‘Ariel’ bicycle – a machine that drew many improvements on the Michaux model.

Other ‘machinists’ found interest, and steadily, over the next few years, other businesses were founded in Coventry for the purposes of making bicycles. By 1877, there were a reported ‘nine’ companies in the city engaged in bicycle manufacture. By 1884 there were eighteen companies, and at the industry’s peak during the 1890s...well, I haven’t quite made my mind up yet.

Basically the industry boomed, not just in Coventry which was the capital centre of cycle production, but in other towns and cities too. The reason for this explosion was the ‘safety’ cycle, perfected by John Kemp Starley in Coventry with his ‘Rover’ machine – a design which made the bicycle far more accessible. As a result, all existing manufacturers copied the Rover principle, and many new firms were established to do the same. Activity in Coventry was rife, with orders for thousands of machines made weekly.

So, by this point, I’ve yet to confirm just how many cycle manufactures existed in the city, and in terms of how many existed overall from 1868 onwards, you may be surprised to learn that I’ve been narrowing down a list of some 500 or so possibilities.

The research into these manufacturers, and potential manufacturers, has been extremely complex. Many companies were linked by individuals, whereby a partnership was once formed, yet someone may have then left the partnership and was replaced by another, therefore changing the company name.

For example, John Icely Warman, another of the original CMC school, first began a cycle business in 1876 as Warman, Laxon & Co. Then followed:
Warman, Laxon & Aslatt
Warman, Laxon & Youett
Warman Laxon, Youett & Co.
Warman & Co.
Warman & Hazlewood

Discovering exactly who some of these individuals were has also often proved to be difficult. Some were, as one would expect, experienced machinists, but many others had no knowledge of cycle manufacture, yet had the means to invest.


To date, the most frustrating company that I have had to research has been the Lion Bicycle Company, which were seen to have been in existence in Coventry in 1879. I know this because I found a reference in the 1879 Bicyclist Handbook with the company at Leicester Place, Leicester Street with the supporting text:

‘This company are working in the same premises that Singer first occupied and are building on the lines of the Humber’ and offering the ‘Lion no. 1, 2, and 3 ordinary machines.’

Fantastic, but there are suggestions that they made other, more novel machines also. In 1890, Harry Hewitt Griffin wrote:

‘These dandy-horse type machines were built by a cycle maker in Coventry in 1879 (trading as the Lion Bicycle Company, and afterwards proprietor of the chief music hall in Wolverhampton) publishing, on the back of his price list, a description of the machine’.

Now, I love being able to unravel a person behind a company, but so far this one has eluded me. In many ways I wish that Griffin hadn’t written this, or as he did anyway, why not give me a name? What if Griffin was wrong? What if it was Wigan, and not Wolverhampton?

Anyway, aside from the fact that I have now become a world authority of Wolverhampton music hall proprietors from 1879-1890, I cannot yet directly connect a single one to making bicycles in Coventry.

I’m not one to give up easily though, and should I ever discover who this man was, I’ll be sure to let you know. 

Damien often tweets updates about his latest discoveries - follow him on Twitter @DamienK73.

Daimler Double-Decker 366 restoration update 1

In February 2013, we handed over a 1940s Coventry Transport Daimler double-decker to local bus enthusiast Roger Burdett, on a restoration loan.

This vehicle, original fleet number 366, was built to wartime austerity regulations, and as with many such buses, required extensive renovation after the war.  As such, it was re-bodied by Roe Bodies in 1951 and continued to be used by Coventry Corporation Transport for a number of years, before being donated to Coventry Transport Museum in 1971.

Inevitably for a vehicle that is over 70 years old, and has had this kind of life, the bus is now in need of major restoration – work that we as a museum do not currently have the resources to undertake.  So when we were approached by well-known bus enthusiast and collector Roger Burdett, with the offer of completely restoring ‘366’, we jumped at the proposition. 

At the time of the loan, our Curator of Vehicles Christiaan van Schaardenburgh said:

“We are a very small team looking after a collection of well over 200 vehicles, not to mention hundreds of cycles and motorcycles, and we would never have had the resources to give 366 the attention it needs.   We are therefore really thrilled that Roger is taking this project on, with a view to getting this delightful and popular vehicle back on the road.  We have known Roger for some time now, and as well as being a great friend of the Museum, we have seen his work on similar projects and we know that he’s going to do a great job on 366.”

And Roger said:

“I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into work on this fantastic bus – next year will mark 100 years since Coventry Transport first put motorised buses on the roads of Coventry, and my aim is to have 366 ready to take part in the centenary events for that anniversary.”

Roger has now had the bus for a few weeks, so we asked him to give us a rundown of how the work is going:
“Unfortunately the cold weather delayed work on the previous vehicle in the restoration pipeline, meaning that we were not able to start on 366 as soon as we would have liked, however I am pleased to say that we are now full steam ahead, spending around 50 hours per week on the vehicle.

The engine appears to be very sound, other than a cracked engine block.  To avoid a total engine strip down, we are going to remove the engine in June and then trial weld the crack at my premises, using skilled welders who currently work on the vehicles.  If this is not successful, the engine will need to go away to a specialist.

We have taken the panels off the rear end, revealing the modifications carried out when turning the vehicles back to a bus from a mobile workshop.  I am still looking for an ‘in service’ picture of the rear end of the vehicle before work can commence.

Rear end minus panels, clearly showing original window shape

The side panels below the downstairs windows will be off by the end of April and then we will see how the ‘wrong’ downstairs windows are fitted.  The frames that are currently on the vehicle are actually from a later bus, so we will have to make a major decision about whether to retain them or fabricate replica originals.

Offside minus some panels, showing wood frame in remarkable condition for 60 years old.

As regards the interior, we have examined the floors, which show some wear and cracking of the lino, but I feel that we can repair-paint and polish.  The seat frames are incorrect for the body (we can tell because the seat legs have been put on supports upstairs, rather than being bolted to the floor) - but we will not be replacing them.  The seat trip moquette is as used/very similar to London Transport (LT) RF and RT models.  I have clubbed together with a number of LT vehicle owners to have a new run of moquette made, and this is due for delivery in mid-May.  This will enable to seats to be re-trimmed, but with vynide borders, rather than the original unobtainable leather.

We are transferring destination blind mechanisms and blinds from Coventry 94.”

Downstairs saloon with seats removed.

Well done to Roger and his team for making a great start on this massive project – we will bring you further news of the restoration as the project develops.

Alvis Saracen & Humber Pig acquired by Coventry Transport Museum

We recently acquired two military vehicles from the Imperial War Museum, Duxford – a 1960s Alvis Saracen FV610 and a 1950s Mk I Humber Pig, both of course manufactured here in Coventry, so we are really pleased to have been able to bring these interesting vehicles back home.

The Saracen (pictured above on the left) is an example of the first type of armoured personnel carrier to be made in the UK after World War II, and was part of a family of military vehicles being manufactured by Alvis, which also included the Saladin Armoured Car, the Salamander Fire Tender and the Stalwart High Mobility Load Carrier.

The Alvis Saracen would have carried a squad of 8 soldiers plus a troop commander and driver.  This model also has a high roof, allowing headroom for a Battery Command Post Officer and Technical Assistants to sit at a fitted table and use their plotting instruments.  It also carried fittings for a canvas awning at the rear and sides.

The vehicle is a modest 8ft wide – development and production of the Saracen was rushed to get them into service during the Malayan Emergency, and part of the specification was that the vehicles needed to be able to fit between rows of rubber trees in the Malayan plantations.

This particular example was first put into service with the 24th Regiment of the Royal Artillery, British Army of the Rhine, in December 1966.  It stayed in Germany until 1971, when it returned to the UK to be based at Ludgershall.  The vehicle was given to the IWM in 1982, where it remained until just a few weeks ago, when we brought it back to Coventry.  You may well recognise this type of vehicle from the 1980s, since they were commonly seen on the streets of Northern Ireland during the troubles.

As you can see from the video below, the Saracen does drive – the piece of film below was shot at Duxford when our Historic Vehicle Technicians Andrew & Chris went to prepare the vehicles for their return to Coventry.  Andrew is driving, (he is our resident military vehicle expert and has owned a Saracen in the past, so we thought he was the man for the job); Chris is his glamorous assistant at the start of the film, and camera work is by Curator of Vehicles Christiaan van ‘Spielberg’ Schaardenburg.

The MK1 Humber Pig is an armoured version of the one-tonne GS truck, and would have been used in riot control situations from the 1950s to the 1990s. 

 Mk1 Humber Pig

Humber GS Truck

The Pig shares many similarities with the Alvis Saracen, not only because it also saw service on the streets of Northern Ireland, but also because both vehicles have many parts in common, particularly the Rolls-Royce B-series engine on which both vehicles run. 
 
Little is currently known about the history of this particular Humber Pig, but we are working with colleagues at Bovington Tank Museum in an attempt to find out more. 

Unfortunately the Pig does not currently run, but it is hoped that with some work in the early part of next year, we may be able to get the Saracen to a point where it can be driven on the roads and taken to events – they will have to be local ones though, as it only manages 3 miles to the gallon!

Both vehicles are currently in Coventry Transport Museum’s off-site store - sign up for our email newsletter to make sure you receive details of the next Open Store Day.

With thanks to the Imperial War Museum Duxford for donating these two vehicles, and to Bovington Tank Museum for their invaluable help in sourcing manuals and information about both vehicles.

1960 Hillman Minx Rescue

On a sunny Sunday at the end of February 2012, Coventry Transport Museum staff Andrew Thomas and Christiaan van Schaardenburgh went to collect this 1960 Hillman Minx from a house in Coventry.

The owner, Irene Taylor, had used the car as her daily car until an engine problem stopped her in 1994, and the car has been stored in a garage in her garden ever since. Now she is moving house and the car had to be removed from the garage, otherwise it would have been scrapped. We are delighted to have been able to save the car from the scrapyard, because the Minx is a very significant car for Coventry, it was really the Ford Focus or VW Golf of its day, and many people would have owned one. This particular Minx is rather rare because it has the ‘Easidrive’ automatic gearbox system. We have five other Minx cars in our collection: the number one Minx from 1931, a 1934 Minx (which is now part of the running collection), a 1935 Aero Minx with special streamlined body, a 1952 Minx mark V and a 1967 Super Minx Estate.


Initially we hope to display the car ‘as found’ and then subsequently we will give it the necessary conservation treatment. Irene’s Minx will be joining her late husband’s 1967 Hillman Super Minx Estate which was donated to the museum by the Taylor family in 1991.

Introduction to the 1916 Maudslay Subsidy Chassis Restoration Project

One of the major projects currently being undertaken by the Friends of Coventry Transport Museum alongside Museum staff, is the restoration of a 1916 Maudslay Subsidy Chassis.

The Friends of the Museum are recording their work on this project on a separate Maudslay Project Blog, but we asked Curator of Vehicles Christiaan van Schaardenburgh to give an overview of the project so far, for readers of this main Museum blog:

In the period before the First World War, the government set out specifications for lorries for military use. Several commercial vehicle manufacturers actually built these vehicles, including: Daimler, Thorneycroft, AEC and Maudslay. Although they were all different, they were built to the same requirements such as weight, horsepower, dimensions, etc. Different body styles were fitted to these vehicles, depending on their use. Large numbers of these military lorries were sold as surplus at auctions after the Great War.

This particular chassis would have been built by Maudslay at Parkside for the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. The vehicle is believed to have been used by the War Department on an airfield in the Angus region of Scotland. Four identical Maudslay chassis were purchased by Coventry Corporation Tramways after the war in 1921 for conversion to buses.

The Museum’s 1916 Maudslay Subsidy chassis was acquired by the Museum in August 2000 from a farm in Dundee, for £10,000. The vehicle was mostly complete, but in a totally unrestored condition. The Great War, Model B three-tonner, was last used in the mid 1970s as a holiday home at Crathy on Deeside, and before that it had been a showman’s living van until 1932. It was stored for many years until being sold to the museum.

Ever since the purchase of the Maudslay chassis, the Friends of Coventry Transport Museum have been raising funds for the restoration of the Maudslay. Restoration of the chassis started in July 2007, every Friday a dedicated team of Friends work with the museum’s collections care team on restoring the lorry to its former glory.

Although the chassis is largely complete, because of its long life as a showman’s vehicle and subsequently as a holiday home, almost every component has a significant amount of wear and tear. It is our goal to rescue as much of the original items as possible - rather than just replacing components with newly made examples, we try to repair the original items, this always adds to the authenticity and gives it ‘the right look’ when inspected closely.

The restoration started with making a detailed photographic record, which has already proven invaluable when the re-assembly started. Once a complete condition survey had been written, the Maudslay was completely disassembled into its main components.

Due to the impending centenary remembering the start of the First World War in 2014, we are aiming to complete the Maudslay during that year. Should we fail to do so, and it is always a difficulty to put a completion date on a restoration project, then we aim to finish the project during 2016 - the 100^th anniversary of the chassis.

Follow our progress on the Maudslay Project blog.

The following companies have provided us with their services so far, often with a favourable rate:

Lenoch Engineering, Ramsay Precision Engineers, Matrix Lasers, CMR Engineering, Clifton Rubber.