Almost three years since the office of Herbert Austin was painstakingly packaged up from inside the Longbridge plant, the British Motor Museum is delighted to announce that a new exhibit – the offices of Herbert Austin & William Morris side by side – will open on Thursday 7 March to be displayed to the many thousands of people who visit the Museum each year.
Austin’s Office, taken from the Longbridge Plant and carefully reconstructed within the
Museum, shows visitors the office as it was when Austin was running the show, with all
his fixtures and fittings. Known by the workforce as 'The Old Man's Office'; it was the
place where many of Austin’s important decisions were made.
Austin’s office will be displayed alongside Morris’s Office, a long-term exhibit of the
Museum relocated from Cowley in 1994, now repositioned and refreshed. Together these offices tell the story of these two famous contemporaries and extremely influential
characters in Britain’s motor industry, offering an unrivalled opportunity for the public to
connect with the stories of Austin and Morris and to understand the impact that both men had, and continue to have, on the motor industry in Britain and beyond.
This exciting project was finally completed due to the significant support of The Patrick
Foundation which funded the reconstruction of this historic office and for which the
Museum is extremely grateful.
Julian Pritchard, of The Patrick Foundation, said, “The trustees of the Patrick Foundation
are delighted to have been able to support this fantastic project within the British Motor
Museum. To see the differing styles of these icons of the British motor industry, brought
to life, is both fascinating and thrilling, We hope the offices provide an informative and
popular display for the many thousands of visitors to the British Motor Museum.”
Cat Boxall, Curator, at the British Motor Museum, said: “It's an honour to be the new
home for the office of Herbert Austin. We're all very excited that we can display it
alongside William Morris' office, a long-time feature of the Museum. Both offices will
become great additions to the extensive range of artefacts held in the collections from
the histories of Longbridge and Cowley.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy seeing the one-millionth car produced by Austin from
1946 along with some of Austin's personal possessions and papers. Also on display will
be the first bicycle made by Morris, and a range of other keepsakes that have been cared for in the Museum. These exhibits will enable the public to learn more about these two great rivals and the important impact they had on Britain’s motor industry”.
For more information about the British Motor Museum please call 01926 895300 or visit
the website here.