With a population of just 16,500 people, the small Oxfordshire town of Cowley could be considered insignificant when compared to its neighbouring towns and cities. However, a glimpse back at Cowley’s meteoric growth throughout the early 20th century reveals a significantly different face to the town. One which would shape Britain and the automotive industry at large for decades to come.
In this article, we’ll be exploring the history of Cowley and how a small Oxfordshire town became the home of renowned car manufacturer Morris Motors. In doing so, we’ll witness how the town became of significant importance to the countries economy throughout the 20th century and how it, unfortunately, witnessed a demise as a result of further globalisation.
Pre-1912
Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, Cowley’s economy was entirely dependent upon the Eddison and Nodding Company factory. This factory, which was founded in the town during 1968, would originally focus its efforts on manufacturing steam ploughing engines.
In the years that followed, the company would diversity further and the factory expanded to manufacture other forms of agricultural machinery. In doing so, the factory offered more job opportunities to local residents and also increased the number of individuals commuting into the town.
1912 – 1960
In 1912 William Morris, the founder of the Morris Motors, brought the Oxford Military College. This college, which was located at the heart of Cowley, would quickly be developed into a fully functioning manufacturing plant.
This new plant would become the heart of Morris Motors and be the plant within which various brands of vehicles would be manufactured. These included the wildly popular Morris Minor, Wolseley 6/80 and Riley range of cars.
William Morris would manufacture these vehicles at scale, in a similar manner to Henry Ford. In doing so, many accredited Morris with being the leader is mass production and therefore essential to the growth in industry during the 20th century throughout the United Kingdom.
Morris Motor’s became so successful that they outsold Ford, Austin and Vauxhall between 1921 and 1932. However, by 1935 other manufacturers increase the number of parts they imported from other countries. As a result of which, those manufacturers were able to reduce the cost of their vehicles and increase their market share.
This caused growing concern for William Morris and in the years that followed the company witnessed a steady decline in market share and revenue. This lead to the company being brought by The British Motoring Corporation and the Morris Motor brand name eventually being made defunct in 1984.
1960 – Present
With the unfortunate demise of Morris Motors and the United Kingdom’s automotive industry at large, the town of Cowley quickly became dependent on its various retail stores. Templars Square Shopping Centre became a particularly big part of the towns economy and continues to attract visitors to this day.
Whilst Morris Motors is part of the towns History, many residents still own historic models of their vehicles, many of which are stored and cared for at This is Your Garage’s Oxford car storage facility.
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