I was wondering, lonely as a cloud, through the Archive the other day and was thinking about the Blue Plaque that was put up in September 2023 to William Munger Heynes.
William Munger Heynes was a man who was instrumental in the design, performance and production of so much of Jaguar’s successful days after WW2. Yet, few people, including myself, were aware of him and why would you be unless you were a motoring Geek, sorry, enthusiast? A brilliant engineer he designed the famous rear suspension fitted to the rear of the production E-type and is still today fitted to racing cars of a certain type. He designed my Jaguar! (Not a lot of people know that!)
So, who else is famous in motoring circles that we should be aware of from around Royal Leamington Spa?
Well, there was Malcolm Sayer, he of the beautiful designs that were turned into the C, D and E-type cars for Jaguar. He worked alongside William Heynes and under Sir William Lyons and provided Jaguar with success both on the race track as well as the road with the iconic E-Type, still one of the most sort after cars.
I wonder what he would think of his designs today, proud of them no doubt. It is sad that he was taken at the young age of 53 in 1970 due to a heart attack. A sad loss not only to all those involved in the motor industry but to all those who stand an stare in wonder at what ne designed. Enzo Ferrari said, of the E-type, “Jaguar’s E-Type is the most beautiful car in the world”.
Who else then. Well how about a certain Henry Mulliner. The name Mulliner is known in connection with Park Ward when the three names were merged in 1961 by Rolls Royce to become the well known coach builders who made bespoke cars with special features as specified by their wealthy clients.
Henry Mulliner (1827-1887) of Leamington Spa, second son of Francis Mulliner (1789-1841) of Leamington Spa and Northampton, had six sons and six daughters. Henry published his book Carriage Builder’s Tour in America in Leamington in 1883. Henry’s Leamington Spa coach building business in Bedford Street and The Parade later had its carriage works in Packington Place and a showroom in Chapel Street. In 1874 Henry moved the whole business to Portland Road, on the corner with Bedford Street (now the site of St Peter’s car park). Henry’s second son Arthur Felton Mulliner (1859-1946) on Henry’s death took over the family’s Northampton business.
Henry’s third son, Herbert Hall Mulliner (1861-1924), in the light of the decline in quality of the Spa’s visitors moved in 1885 to Birmingham. Following his father’s death in November 1887 and consequent rearrangement of family ownership he made his home in Rugby and took up other interests including in 1895 the manufacture of scientific instruments. In 1897 he converted the coach and carriage making part of his business to motor vehicle bodies and was then employing 200. Henry’s nephew Henry Jervis Mulliner founded a branch in Chiswick, London which went on to make bodies for prestigious cars, including Bentley and Daimler. Mulliner Park Ward was eventually purchased by Rolls Royce in 1961.
Then there was Charles Thomas Crowden. Who he, you may well ask. Well, in the age when there were so many clever engineers, he was at the forefront of the steam age. But not only steam the following is an extract from our own website. “Charles Thomas Crowden, an early automotive designer and engineer, settled in Leamington with his family, in Eastnor Grove in the 1890s. Charles Crowden came to Leamington and the motor trade via an early interest in engineering and tool-setting in Bath, fire-engine design in London, safety-bicycle development, and finally, the Great Horseless Carriage Company, at the Motor Mills in Coventry. In 1884 Crowden designed a pioneer bicycle, – still being exhibited in Birmingham 19 years later, alongside the latest model. He acquired his first motorised transport patent in 1896, when employed as chief engineer at Humber and Company cycle manufacturers in Beeston. Charles Crowden was in at the very start of the British motor industry, when the earliest Daimler, Humber and Pennington vehicles were being designed, built and tested. He was clearly a leading light in the industry.”
One of Charles’ less notable vehicles was this Fire Engine fitted with an impressive looking V4 engine. Unfortunately when fitted with all the equipment and crewed with at least 4 men it wasn’t a great success as the engine was so under powered that it wouldn’t move! But, undaunted, he had great successes.
Moving to Warwick we have Donald Healey, I say moving, he was in fact born in Cornwall but somebody had to be and he moved to the Midlands where he worked for Riley Cars and Triumph Cars and during the war for Humber Cars. In 1945 he formed his on company and set up a factory in an old wartime hangar in Warwick. Not only designing and building his own cars Donald went into agreements with Nash Motors and Jensen Motors but is most famous for his close connections with Austin producing the Healey sports car range which were very successful in the States as well as the UK and once again are enviously sought after. Healey also went into boat building.
Lastly we come to Sir John Egan. I didn’t want to leave out one of the most important Motor Industry figures of the 1980’s. The man who saved Jaguar! John Egan was appointed chairman of Jaguar Cars in 1980, turning round what had been a struggling business. A carmaker facing closure when he took over was sold ten years later to Ford for £1.6bn, at which time Egan moved to another company. Egan is currently the President of the Jaguar Drivers’ Club, the only Jaguar owners club to be officially sanctioned by Sir William Lyons and Jaguar cars. He lives in retirement in Warwick.
Click Here for Archives Antics No 2
David Morse, April 2023