Stunning images of the Coventry Browns Lane Jaguar site in its heyday

VaselineJuly 7, 2024

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Stunning images of the Coventry Browns Lane Jaguar site in its heyday

Stunning footage of the Coventry Browns Lane Jaguar site in its heyday – CoventryLive

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The last remaining buildings on the Browns Lane site are to be cleared

of Rachel Stretton
05:00, 7 July 2024

The 28,000th Jaguar car produced this year rolls off the assembly line at Brown’s Lane, Coventry, to the cheers of plant manager Wal Turner (right) and members of the workforce. It marks the luxury carmaker’s highest production since 1974. This year’s total was 6,000 more than last year. This year has also seen continued growth in sales to the United States. November brought the 38th consecutive monthly increase in US sales, which so far this year totaled 14,026, compared with 9,130 last year. December 23, 1983

This week was a watershed moment for Coventry as the last of the old JLR buildings in Brown Lane was given the go-ahead to be demolished. The car firm ended production at the plant in 2005 and much of the site has already been developed.

But the last remaining warehouse and office at Sayer Drive is also set to be demolished. Here, out of nostalgia, we decided to take a look back at the Browns Lane site in its heyday as a Jaguar factory.

From royal visits and production lines to disasters like a devastating fire in the 1950s, take a look through our photos below.

Did you work on the Browns Lane site? Share your memories in the comments or contact us at news@coventrytelegraph.net

You can also view more nostalgia content here.

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The 28,000th Jaguar car produced this year rolls off the assembly line at Brown’s Lane, Coventry, to the cheers of plant manager Wal Turner (right) and members of the workforce. It marks the luxury carmaker’s highest production since 1974. This year’s total was 6,000 more than last year. This year has also seen continued growth in sales to the United States. November brought the 38th consecutive monthly increase in U.S. sales, which so far this year totaled 14,026, compared with 9,130 last year.December 23, 1983

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Jaguar E-Type cars lined up for export from the Jaguar Cars Limited Brown Lane factory in Coventry on Wednesday 30 December 1970.

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1957 file photo of flames engulfing the Jaguar works car at Coventry in a disastrous fire that destroyed many cars. The site – one of Britain’s most famous engine factories – is to see the design, development and construction of an all-new Jensen Interceptor, with deliveries to customers from 2014. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Date of issue: Tuesday, September 20, 2011. See story PA TRANSPORT Jensen. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

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1957 file photos of work resuming at the Jaguar Browns Lane factory in Coventry, just six days after fire destroyed the building, destroying many cars. The site – one of Britain’s most famous engine factories – is to see the design, development and construction of an all-new Jensen Interceptor, with deliveries to customers from 2014. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Date of issue: Tuesday, September 20, 2011. See story PA TRANSPORT Jensen. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

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1957 file photos of the burnt and water-damaged Jaguar Mk VIII car after a fire swept through the Browns Lane factory in Coventry overnight. The site – one of Britain’s most famous engine factories – is to see the design, development and construction of an all-new Jensen Interceptor, with deliveries to customers from 2014. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Date of issue: Tuesday, September 20, 2011. See story PA TRANSPORT Jensen. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

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Just hours after Coventry firefighters put out the last of the flames, workers in rubber boots toiled through the wreckage to clear vital assembly lines. Now, shiny new models once again proclaim that jaguars are back in business. 1957.

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Jaguar’s E-type car assembly line at the Brown’s Lane, Coventry plant has stopped due to gas cuts. January 20, 1966

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Miss Jaguar 1959 beauty pageant winner. Circa August 1959

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Jaguar Cars Factory, Browns Lane, Coventry. The banner above the piece reads: “Quality is vital to us all” January 11, 1961

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Jaguar Cars entrance, Browns Lane, Coventry, 4 March 1969

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The thousands of workers who packed the Coventry site to protest the Conservative government’s industrial relations bill have been praised by union officials. An official told the meeting: “This has got to be the best demonstration ever held in Coventry. If the government doesn’t take heed, they deserve whatever they get, no doubt.” Estimates of the crowd, which stretched from Broadgate to Woolworths, ranged from 10,000 to 15,000. Many thousands registered their opposition by walking out of factories across the city. The protest was organized by the district committee of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions and Coventry Trades Council. A number of local factories were forced to close for the day, including Jaguar Cars Ltd., Chrysler at Ryton, Triumph Engineering at Meriden and Hawker Siddeley Aviation at Bitteswell. Additional police were on duty in the station to organize the crowd. More than 2,000 workers from GEC-AEI Telecommunications Stoke Factory joined the meeting. The factory stopped at 11 o’clock because most of the workers left. As they marched, the crowd taunted their Coventry Corporation bus crews for not joining the strike call. Roll Royce employees from the Parkside factories brought traffic to a standstill as they marched through the town centre. Workers – 4,500 came out at 10am, but many did not join the march, waving banners and shouting slogans. They marched down Whitefriars Street, Cox Street, Fairfax Street, around Broadgate and along Corporation Street before gathering at the Precinct. Their cries of “Come and join us” were not always welcome. “Lots of kids”, “Stupid” and “They don’t want to work” were common comments from viewers. The Triumph contingent arrived around 12.30pm led by three members of the Standard Pipers Band. The meeting was organized to allow them to gather. Police handed out the “highest possible praise” to the thousands of workers at the meeting. “T

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Production line, JaguarBrowns Lane, Coventry19/08/1982

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Geoffrey Robinson, Managing Director of Jaguar Cars, Coventry, Tuesday 23 October 1973. Since 1976 Geoffrey Robinson has been the Labor Member of Parliament for Coventry North West, a by-election caused by the death of the incumbent.

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The Queen Mum has a lift in an electric car driven by assembly development manager George Hind during a tour of the Jaguar factory in Coventry.28th March 1985

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Coventry became like a second home to Mr Jack Jones when he began his long career as a trade union official in the city almost 40 years ago. And last night the general secretary of Britain’s biggest trade union, the Transport and General Workers, returned to Coventry for a dance to mark his retirement. It was dropped by friends at the Jaguar factories, some of whom remember Mr Jones when he came from Liverpool before the war to become a union district official in Coventry. Among those who received him last night were his old school friend, Mr. Robert Davidson, now chairman of Jaguar, Browns Lane, union branch, Mr. Jones received a portrait of himself by a Leicester Indian artist, Mr. Sarup Singh , who painted the picture within two weeks of seeing Mr. Jones. On TV, Mr Jones and his wife Evelyn, went to the dance at the Jaguar Daimler Social Club, live from the Labor Party Conference in Brighton. October 7, 1977.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. The Duke is talking to Christine Brown in the dressmaking workshop. March 6, 1987.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. The Duke talks to Warden John Watts and John Parry, left, as he looks at the bodywork of a new Daimler limousine being built for the Queen. March 6, 1987.

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John Egan pictured with the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Eddie Weaver, at a Jaguar manufacturing plant. January 27, 1983.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. March 6, 1987.

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Geoffrey Robinson, Managing Director of Jaguar Cars, pictured in his office, Coventry, Tuesday 23 October 1973. Since 1976, Geoffrey Robinson has been the Labor Member of Parliament for Coventry North West, a by-election caused by the death of the incumbent.

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Production line at Jaguar, Browns Lane, Coventry07/09/1972

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School leavers from the Youth Opportunities Program meet Mr John Egan, Chairman of Jaguar Cars, at the company’s training center in Radford. August 24, 1981.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. March 6, 1987.

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1980 – The Queen Mother has a lift in an electric car driven by Assembly Development Manager George Hind during a tour of the Jaguar factory in Coventry. March 28, 1985

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. March 6, 1987.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. March 6, 1987.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. March 6, 1987.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits the Jaguar assembly plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. The Duke asks Paul Heavy about his work in the tailor shop. March 6, 1987.

VaselineJuly 7, 2024

0 7 minutes read