A blue plaque commemorating Herbert Austin, pioneering engineer, innovator, and founder of the Austin Motor Company, has been unveiled at the Longbridge campus of South & City College Birmingham (SCCB) – the historic site where Austin’s legendary car factory once stood.
Herbert Austin, who built his first car in Birmingham in 1895 and founded The Austin Motor Company in 1905, was a visionary industrialist whose factories played a vital role in Britain’s automotive industry and the nation’s efforts during two world wars. His dedication to apprenticeships and engineering training created tens of thousands of careers and remains a source of inspiration today.
The blue plaque has been located at SCCB to fit within the original footprint of the Austin Motor Company’s North Works, where many apprentices began their careers. That tradition continues today at SCCB with young engineers continuing to be trained there.
Mike Hopkins MBE, Principal at SCCB, said: “In addition to recognising Herbert Austin’s remarkable contribution to the automotive industry, to Birmingham, and to major manufacturing here in Longbridge, this blue plaque also celebrates the ongoing tradition of training young engineers right here at South & City College Birmingham.
“Our apprentices and engineering students follow in the footsteps of those who shaped the industry, and our partnership with the University of Birmingham offers them a pathway to a degree, highlighting our commitment to opportunity and social mobility.”
The Austin Ex-Apprentices Association brings together former apprentices of the Austin Motor Company and its successor companies at Longbridge and has long campaigned for Herbert Austin’s contribution to be better recognised. That has already resulted in a stainless-steel map of the former factory being unveiled in Longbridge town centre and the campaign still hopes to see a statue of Austin one day being unveiled. The unveiling of the blue plaque, however, is a significant milestone for the campaign as Ivor Vaughan CBE, President of the Austin Ex-Apprentices Association, explained: “I owe much of my success to the start I received as an Austin Apprentice. It’s vital that Herbert Austin’s contribution to the UK car industry and to Birmingham is remembered. He created great wealth, countless careers, and quality jobs right here. This blue plaque is an important first step in ensuring his legacy endures.”
Ian Grosvenor, Co-Chair of the Heritage Committee at Birmingham Civic Society, added: “We’re delighted to have worked with South & City College and the Austin Ex-Apprentices Association to bring this blue plaque to Longbridge and mark the site of the original Austin Works.
“So many apprentices learned their trade here and the fact the college now trains young engineers on the same site is a fitting continuation of Herbert Austin’s vision.”
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