Taking a look at the history of Birmingham from its humble rural beginnings to the second city. Some of the big company names and
historic motor industry icons are listed here.
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Alstom
Alstom (formerly GEC-Alsthom) is a large French company whose businesses are power generation
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Ariel
The Ariel was an English automobile manufactured in Birmingham from 1900 to 1915, and again from 1922 to 1925.
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Assay Office
The Birmingham Assay Office was opened in 1773 and operated from rooms above the King's Head public house in New Street.
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Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster was a four-engined World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force.
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BSA
The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was founded in 1861 by fourteen gunsmiths in Birmingham, England
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Birmingham History
Birmingham's past undoubtably goes back as far as the Bronze age and beyond
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Birmingham Mint
The Birmingham Mint in Birmingham, England was established in 1794 in Slaney Street by Ralph Heaton
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Cadbury History
Cadbury's as we know it today started from humble beginnings in Bull Street, Birmingham. A shop was opened by John Cadbury in 1824.
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Canal History
At the canal's peak in the late 1700's over 100 canal boats a day passed through the city of Birmingham
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Chance Glass Factory
Chance Brothers was founded in 1822. There were four large companies in the 19th century that developed a new method of glassmaking
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Dudley History
Dudley has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon 'Duddah's leah' which translates as 'woodland clearing owned, or lived in, by Duddah
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GEC - General Electric
The General Electric Company plc or GEC was a UK company involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications and engineering.
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Gun Quarter
Gunmaking has been a long established trade in the UK for over 200 years. The production of hand made guns was centred around St Chad's Cathedral
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History Societies
There are a number of history societies in the West Midlands. Here are a few of them.
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HMS Birmingham
On 9th August 1914 the 5,400 ton light cruiser HMS Birmingham sank the first German submarine of the first World War.
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Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period of of the 18th century marked by social and technological change
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Inventors & Inventions
Statistics published by the UK’s patent office confirm that in 2002 more than a quarter of all applications filed with the Patent Office by West Midlands residents were granted.
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IRA Pub Bombings
The Birmingham bombings were credited to the Provisional IRA, although the group denied this two days later.
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Jaguar
Jaguar Cars is a British automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1922 as the Swallow Sidecar Company by William Lyons, it was renamed Jaguar in 1935.
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JCB
JCB is a family business named after its founder J.C.Bamford, producing distinctive yellow-and-black engineering vehicles, diggers ("Backhoes") and excavators.
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Landrover
Land Rover was the name of one of the first British civilian all-terrain utility vehicles, first produced by Rover in 1947.
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LDV - Leyland DAF Vans
LDV was formed in 1993 following a management buy-out of Leyland Daf's van manufacturing plant in Birmingham, England,
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Lloyds Bank History
The origins of Lloyds Bank stretch back to 1765, when John Taylor and Sampson Lloyd set up a private banking business in Birmingham
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Lunar Society
The Birmingham Lunar Society was very particular about who was allowed to be member. Pretty much an exclusive club it never had more than fourteen members
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MG Rover
MG Rover were the largest independent manufacturer of cars in the British motor industry.
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Midland Red
The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company (BMMO) played a pre-eminent part in bus and coach design and new technology.
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Mini
The original Mini was a revolutionary and characterful small car designed for the nationalized British Motor Corporation (BMC)
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Morris Motor Company
Morris was started in 1913 when bicycle manufacturer William Morris (1877-1963) turned his attention to car manufacturing.
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Motor Industry West Midlands
The West Midlands has always been the home of the motor industry. In 1861 Birmingham Small Arms commenced the manufacture of military arms
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Newcomen Engine
In 1712 Thomas Newcomen and his assistant developed the first successful engine near Dudley Castle in Tipton.
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Norton Motorcycles
Norton is probably the most well known of British Motorcyles along with Triumph. Both marques have their birthplace in the West Midlands.
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Railway History
Competition for the building of the new railways was fierce. In total three separate railway companies were competing for railway dominance in Birmingham.
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Triumph Motorcycles
Triumph Motorcycles, one of the most famous names in British Motorcycling history. Just where did it all begin?
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Velocette Motorcycles
Velocette was a British brand of motorcycles. The motorcycles were intended to appeal to women as well as men.
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Walsall History
In a grant to Herbert Rufus, Walsall was created a Royal Manor by Henry II.
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War Years
Birmingham city sent 150,000 men to Flanders, many of whom did not return or returned with terrible injuries.
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Wolseley Motor Company
Wolseley began as the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Company before being spun off (with financing from Vickers) as an independent concern in Birmingham in 1901.
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Wolverhampton History
A monastery existed in Wolverhampton in Saxon times (being consecrated in 994), this was founded by Lady Wulfruna.
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