Factory Collection

Swindon Works Map, c. 1940s
Swindon Works Map, c.1940s, showing the growth of the GWR Works in Swindon between 1846 and the 1940s. The sheer volume of workshops and sidings can be seen in fascinating detail

Men at work on the Rapier track at the Rootes Group factory at Ryton, Coventry. 2nd November 1961

Laphroaig Whisky Distillery, Loch Laphroaig, Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

7 King Class Locomotives at Swindon Shed, 1930
From l-r: No 6005 King George II, No 6008 King James II, No 6017 King Edward IV, No 6020 King Henry IV, No 6022 King Edward III, No 6023 King Edward II, No 6024 King Edward I

Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead BL22201_002
Cammell Laird & Co shipyard, Birkenhead. Interior view showing a bay in the engine shop. One of a series of photographs of Cammell Laird works. Bedford Lemere. June 1913

Consett Steel Works a98_06557
CONSETT STEEL WORKS, Durham. General view of the Consett Steel Works showing trackways and overhead piping. The works supplied the materials for everything from Blackpool Tower to Britains nuclear

Ferrari F1 Launch: A selection of racing Ferraris are displayed outside the Ferrari factory
A selection of racing Ferraris are displayed outside the Ferrari factory, including a Ferrari 156 " Sharknose". Ferrari F1 Launch, Ferrari Factory, Maranello, Italy, 1962

Children labelling tins of tea c. 1910, Butlers Wharf BB87_09690
BUTLERs WHARF, Shad Thames, London. From 1921 children had to be at least 12 years old before they could work full-time, though some of these boys look younger

The Hoover Building J950085
THE HOOVER BUILDING, Western Avenue, Perivale, London. Exterior view at night

Singer Sewing Machines - factory in Clydebank, Scotland. 1932

Austin Motor Plant EPW047811
AUSTIN MOTOR PLANT, Longbridge, Birmingham. Aerial view of the car production plant in June 1935. Much of the manufacture at this time would have been the Austin 7. Aerofilms Collection (see Links)

Advert for Horlicks malted milk 1916
Woman in World War One workshop, drinking the nourishing food-drink Horlicks Malted Milk. Date: 1916

Engine House, GWR Works, Swindon BB94_04685
THE ENGINE HOUSE, Great Western Railway Works, Swindon, Wiltshire. 1846 interior view. Lithograph by John Cooke Bourne (1814-1896)

Blowing glass in a British factory, 1800s
Workers in a crown-glass factory, Great Britain, early 1800s. Hand-colored engraving of a 19th-century illustration

Wootton Bassett United Dairies, 1930. EPW032627
WOOTTON BASSETT UNITED DAIRIES, Wiltshire. The Dairy Supply Company opened its factory in 1908 and merged with United Dairies in 1915

Cornish tin smelting works EPW009899a
Cornish Tin Company Smelting Works. Believed to be Seleggan Works or East Wheal Basset Smelting Works, Redruth, Cornwall. This was the largest tin smelter that Cornwall possessed

Wallsend, Tyneside
Houses and factories with cranes on the skyline in Wallsend, Tyneside

German propaganda poster, WW1
German propaganda poster, encouraging women to work in the Home Army during the First World War, for example by working in munitions factories to make grenades for soldiers to use. Date: 1914-1918

The Potteries EPW045337
FAIRFIELD POTTERY, Slippery Lane, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. The heart of the potteries with a series of kilns, towers and workshops producing all kinds of ceramics

Welwyn Garden City, an example of town planning
An advertisement for new houses and industrial sites at the new town of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, an example of town planning, designed to take people away from polluted cities

Staffordshire Potteries
Factories in the Staffordshire potteries, 2nd March 1946. Original publication : Picture Post - 3088 - Pottery : A Working Partys Problem - pub

The Iron Foundry, Burmeister & Wain, 1885, by Peder Severin
Peder Severin Kroyer (1851-1909). Danish painter. The Iron Foundry, Burmeister & Wain, 1885. National Museum of Art. Copenhagen. Denmark

Merrimac Hat Factory, Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA
Merrimac Hat Factory, on the Merrimac River at Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA. Date: circa 1900s

Port Sunlight BL14041_027
LEVER BROTHERS SUNLIGHT SOAP WORKS, Port Sunlight, Wirral, Merseyside. Interior view. Workers packing soap boxes. Photographed by Bedford Lemere & Co. in April 1897

Advert, Barry, Ostlere & Shepherd Ltd, Kirkcaldy
Advert for Barry, Ostlere & Shepherd Ltd, Manufacturers of Floor Cloth, Linoleum and Cork Carpet, Kirkcaldy, Scotland. 1905

A Factoryscape in the Potteries, (1938). Smoke from chimneys in the industrial area known as the Staffordshire Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent

Death to World Imperialism, poster, 1919. Artist: Dmitriy Stakhievich Moor
Death to World Imperialism, poster, 1919. Found in the collection of the Russian State Library, Moscow

Braidwater Spinning Mills, Ballymena - a view of the factory by the river. (Location: Northern Ireland: County Antrim). Date: circa early 1900s

Port Sunlight - a workers utopia
Page from The Illustrated London News with photographs reporting on the model factory village of Port Sunlight on the Wirral, near Birkenhead

Morgan factory DP139433
Morgan Motor Company, Pickersleigh Road, Malvern, Worcestershire. Two Morgan cars with factory beyond

WRIGHT: COTTON MILL. Arkwrights Cotton Mills by Night, in Cromford, Derbyshire, England. Oil on canvas by Joseph Wright, c1782-83

Rover Car Factory, Solihull JLP01_01_045_33
Rover Car Company Works, Lode Lane, Solihull. West Midlands. Interior view of Rover factory showing workers polishing cars, October 1956. John Laing Collection

Corby Ironworks
11th February 1950: Corby Ironworks in Northamptonshire at night. Original Publication: Picture Post - 4975 - Did You Know This Was Happening To England? - pub

The Young Communist League is the Shock Battalion of the Five-Year Plan. Soviet poster, 1931, by Vladimir Lyushin
RUSSIA: FIVE YEAR PLAN. The Young Communist League is the Shock Battalion of the Five-Year Plan. Soviet poster, 1931, by Vladimir Lyushin

Mixing treated asbestos fibre, Heath Robinson machine
Efficient plant for the successful mixing of treated asbestos fibre with cement. A drawing done by William Heath Robinson for Turners Asbestos Cement Co

Patent double action grinder for asbestos by Heath Robinson
A patent double-action grinder for mashing asbestos fibre - a drawing done for Turners Asbestos Cement Co by William Heath Robinson, renowned for his machines and convoluted contraptions. Date: c.1925

Bryant and May Match Factory
Girls feeding a machine at the Bryant & May match factory, in Bow, East London, at the time a tax on matches was being discussed in the budget. Date: 1916

Poole Pottery - Shaping a pot on the potters wheel
Shaping a pot on the potters wheel. Poole Pottery was founded in 1873 on Poole quayside, where it continued to produce pottery by hand before moving its factory operations away from the quay in 1999

Royal Aircraft Factory FE2B 4962
Royal Aircraft Factory FE2B, 4962

Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead BL22201_011A
Cammell Laird & Co shipyard, Birkenhead. Exterior view across the outer basin looking towards a ferry moored outside the Cammell Laird buildings

Concordes Cockpit
The cockpit of the first prototype Concorde, 001, at the St. Martin Sud-Aviation factory at Toulouse, France. Date: late 1960s

Bryant & May Matchworks
Bryant & Mays match factory, Fairfield Works. Date: 1878

Aprilia RSV4 Factory

Swindon and GWR Works EPW059047
SWINDON, Wiltshire. The Great Western Railway Works, Swindon station and the workers village (Swindon New Town), looking west. Photographed in August 1938. Aerofilms Collection (see Links)

Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey - Large fig factory
The scale of the fig industry at Izmir is demonstrated in this postcard showing a huge warehouse with a multitude of baskets and workers

The Huntley and Palmers Works at Reading
The Huntley and Palmers Biscuit Factory at Reading, Berkshire

GWR Works, Swindon, 1920 epw000924
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY WORKS, Swindon. Aerial view photographed May 1920. Aerofilms Collection (see Links)

Fort Dunlop EPW026942
FORT DUNLOP, Birmingham. May 1929. Aerial view. Headquarters of Dunlop Rubber, a famous tyre manufacturer, established in 1917. At one time this was the largest factory in the world

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"From Swindon Works to Loch Laphroaig: Exploring the Global Tapestry of Factories" Step back in time with a glimpse into the past at Swindon Works Map, circa 1940s. This historical gem takes us on a journey through the heart of industrial Britain, where locomotives like the majestic 7 King Class Locomotives were crafted with precision and pride. Venturing further north, we find ourselves amidst the rugged beauty of Islay in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Here lies the iconic Laphroaig Whisky Distillery, an enchanting factory that has been perfecting its craft for generations. The aroma of peat fills the air as skilled artisans create one of Scotland's finest exports. Traveling across to Consett Steel Works, we witness a symphony of fire and steel. The intense heat illuminates this bustling factory as molten metal is transformed into sturdy structures that shape our modern world. At Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, we are greeted by towering vessels awaiting their maiden voyage. This legendary factory has birthed countless ships that have sailed oceans far and wide – each carrying dreams and aspirations within their hulls. In Kirkcaldy stands Barry, Ostlere & Shepherd Ltd. , an advertisement reminding us how factories have long been pillars of local economies. Their products not only bring prosperity but also tell stories woven into every thread they produce. Clydebank's Singer Sewing Machines Factory hums with rhythmic precision as skilled hands stitch together fabrics from around the globe. In this bustling hive of creativity, innovation intertwines seamlessly with tradition. The Ferrari F1 Launch transports us to Maranello's prestigious factory where speed meets elegance. Outside its gates stand racing Ferraris - symbols of engineering excellence ready to conquer racetracks worldwide. Austin Motor Plant epitomizes British automotive manufacturing prowess.