Morris Garages
of Oxford. The company gave its name to the MG car
William Richard Morris had been trading as a motor and cycle engineer, of 100 Holywell Street and 48 High Street, Oxford[1]
1909 Morris set up the Morris Garage, where he sold, hired, and repaired cars.
1909 November. Advertisement. Morris Garage. W. R. Morris will exhibit at the 1909 Stanley Show.[2]
1910 July. 'OXFORD’S NEW MOTOR GARAGE. The new Morris Garage at the Holywell corner of Longwall-street promises to supply the wants of the most fastidious tourist on the road. Mr. Morris is looking well ahead....the building will be of the most substantial character, calculated to last for centuries....There will be a frontage of over 100 feet in brick, with stone facing with stone facing, one, or possibly two, shop fronts on the ground floor, and a central archway of sufficient height to permit the entrance of the largest omnibus at present on the road. The building will of two storys....the main garage, roof lighted and ventilated, and with an area of 4,400 square feet....the motorcycle work will be kept quite apart from this garage....between thirty and forty persons will be engaged on the premises when the garage is completed....views of the new garage are given in this week’s “Oxford Journal Illustrated”'[3]
1910 November. Advertisement. Morris Garage, Longwall Street. 'The Rendezvous of Varsity Motorists'. Established in 1896. W. R. Morris proprietor.[4]
1911 December. Mention of Morris's Garage, Oxford.[5]
1912 September. Mention of R. A. Bishop, motor cycle manager at Morris's Garage.[6]
1912 Morris also set up W. R. M. Motors at Cowley, building cars
1913 Sales at the Morris Garage had quadrupled in four years and by 1913 Morris was a successful and respected Oxford businessman.
1915 January. Advert. Morris-Oxford Light Cars. Sole agency The Morris Garages, Showrooms at Queen Street. Offers Popular at 165 Guineas and the De Luxe at 190 Guineas.[7]
1919 Edwin Clipsham Armstead is appointed general manager while Morris concentrates on building cars at Morris
1921 Cecil Kimber becomes sales manager and Albert Sydney Enever joins as an errand boy
1922 Armstead dies and Kimber made General Manager
1927 Private company.
1961 Listed as distributors of Morris, Wolseley, MG, Riley, Morris Commercial and Vanden Plas Princess. Coachbuilders and vehicle dealers. 143 employees.[8]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1907 Kelly's Directory
- ↑ Oxford Times - Saturday 06 November 1909
- ↑ Oxford Times - Saturday 16 July 1910
- ↑ Oxford Times - Saturday 26 November 1910
- ↑ Aberdeen Journal - Thursday 07 December 1911
- ↑ Aberdeen Journal - Wednesday 11 September 1912
- ↑ Reading Mercury - Saturday 30 January 1915
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE