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SUNBEAMLAND
SURVIVES!
Sunbeamland survives!
The factories of most of the great names in British motorcycling do not.
This makes the Sunbeam factory in Paul Street, Wolverhampton something of a
rarity amongst pre-First World War motorcycle works.
What is more, it is
located in the Blakenhall and Graisley historic motor manufacturing district
of Wolverhampton where there are other fascinating
survivals dating back to
the earliest years of motor manufacturing in Britain prior to 1900.
Wolverhampton was one
of the principal centres for Britain's first motor vehicle production.
Couple this with the extent of the surviving buildings and the achievements
of its manufacturers, and it makes Wolverhampton the UK's most important
centre for built heritage associated with early motor manufacturing.
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OWNERSHIP
Sunbeamland is
currently owned by the development company
Urban Splash,
which
purchased the factory in August 2009. At
the time, Sunbeamland had been empty and decaying for many years, left
behind to languish by previous owners Mucklows and lessees Chubb, who
failed to bring forward development proposals despite occasional optimism.
The factory is a noble
survivor in a fast-changing city centre desperate for investment and
development. Urban Splash has commenced to secure a future for the factory
with recent planning applications.
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HERITAGE PROTECTION
English
Heritage - the national agency set up to protect England's heritage -
regards Sunbeamland as having only local significance. It considers that
the factory does not qualify for statutory national protection as a 'listed
building'.
This is highly
disappointing and seems at odds with the building's national and international
significance, and the rarity of surviving cycle and motorcycle factories from the
pre-First World War era. It is also disappointing when marques such as
Terrot
in France receive this recognition.
Wolverhampton
City Council, to its credit, has provided some recognition of the
factory's heritage value. It has given it a non-statutory 'local listing' - the
effectiveness of which awaits new Government legislation.
Other buildings in the
city's historic motor manufacturing district are protected as nationally listed
buildings; notably the 1904 car works of the Star Engineering Company and the
Sunbeam Motor Car Company works from 1905. There are also other Council local
listings, and a proposal for a Council-designated 'conservation area' to protect
more than just the buildings. The Council has also undertaken an urban character
study which recognises the Blakenhall and Graiseley industrial areas'
association with early vehicle manufacture in Britain.
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LINKS WITH THE
MARSTON COMPANY
John Marston Ltd was
originally a manufacturer of 'japanned' (lacquered) and enamelled domestic
ware on the Sunbeamland site. The company's association with vehicles
commenced with bicycles in 1887 - and the first use of the 'Sunbeam' name.
In 1905 a separate
company was established to take forward
car production, whilst
bicycle and
motorcycle production continued until 1937 and sale of the Sunbeam name to
Associated Motor Cycles of London. But the Marston company continued in
Wolverhampton as part of the huge Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI),
manufacturing radiators - a metal working activity the company excelled at
and proved vital during the Second World War.
The Marston company,
now HS Marston,
still remains in Wolverhampton manufacturing heat transfer components for
aero-space, motor sports and electronic industries. In the early 1980s, when
the company was called IMI Marston (and briefly Marston Palmer) its
interest in its illustrious motoring past was rekindled. Enthusiasts at all
levels in the company set up the
Marston Sunbeam Register as an informal
club for Sunbeam cycles and motorcycles. It has helped keep Sunbeam's
history alive. This has included some fine motorcycle restoration work and
creation of the Marston Collection of machines.
More recently, with
changes at the company this role has been taken up by the Marston
Wolverhampton Heritage Trust. Sunbeam's spiritual home has now moved
further afield to ... steadying myself here ... the adjoining town of Dudley
(that wasn't so bad to write after all!) and the
Black Country Living
Museum which houses a fine display of motorcycles and holds
related archives on behalf of the Marston Wolverhampton Heritage Trust.
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CELEBRATING SUNBEAM'S
HERITAGE
As a heritage resource
Sunbeamland is equal to the fine lustrous cycles and motorcycles it produced. It
tells us something about the makers, both the Marstons as civic and industrial
leaders, and the everyday workforce of craftsmen and engineers who thrust us
into the motorised age. This is a
story with a great deal of resonance.
Sunbeamland is a
significant part of the nation's social, sporting and industrial heritage. It is
one of a small number of symbolic surviving buildings that have associations
with the Modern Age's early flirtations with speed, motor travel and personal
freedom. Sunbeamland is for the 1920s 'golden era' of British motorcycling what
the Brooklands
race track or Brighton's Madeira Drive are for the 'Pioneer Age', or London's
Ace Cafe
for the 1950s and '60s.
There are tantalising
photos in Robert Cordon Champ's books that bring the building to life. Perhaps
more so, the tales of
George Peck who worked there, which can be found on the
Wolverhampton History and Heritage Website.
Sunbeamland really is worth a
visit and perhaps with a little persuasion we may yet see it open to the
public on national 'Heritage
Open Days' (HODs) each year in September. This is a country-wide
event when buildings
not normally open to the public are made accessible, often with talks, tours
and exhibitions. A first
HODs
tour of Wolverhampton's historic motor manufacturing
district took place in 2009, with a subsequent
City Council event in 2010. Lets hope for future events - and,
for you Sunbeam owners a
chance to take your 'Beam back home for the day!
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