Crewe's Rolls-Royce Factory From Old Photographs

The prestigious and world famous Rolls Royce and Bentley luxury cars were produced at Crewe from 1946 when the factory's post-war production moved on from war-winning Merlin aero engines. The railway town of Crewe was originally chosen as a factory site because it offered a good transport infrastructure together with a plentiful supply of labour. In 1943, when Merlin engine production was at its peak, the factory employed around 10,000 people. Having both trained and worked at the factory Peter Ollerhead has a unique insight into the life of the company and its employees. Here he presents a special selection of images from his own collection and that of the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club and many of these factually captioned images have never been seen before. They cover 1938 to 2002 when Bentley was in sole possession of the Pym's Lane factory. Both Rolls Royce and Bentley cars are featured, (as is the Merlin aero engine production in the wartime years) . All the cars are covered from the Silver Dawn and Bentley R Type to the latest models. There are also images of manufacturing such as machining, assembly of engines and bodies, seats etc and some of the personnel are identified and manufacturing processes explained. The book closes with an extensive section of personnel sporting events associated with Rolls Royce and retirements etc.