Jensen Factory postcard

[Martin R]

Yes it's still there, up Why Not Street, went past it yesterday funnily enough.

Fantastic! Thanks for confirming!

[Martin R]

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We’d never make a joke about a pub Felixkk!!

[felixkk]

5F0EC3E5-E452-43DF-96B4-E932BDA6BEAF.jpeg

We’d never make a joke about a pub Felixkk!!

Why not?

Forget I asked that, I feel like we're going in circles, my head is beginning to spin.

[Martin R]

5F0EC3E5-E452-43DF-96B4-E932BDA6BEAF.jpeg

We’d never make a joke about a pub Felixkk!!

Why not?

Forget I asked that, I feel like we're going in circles, my head is beginning to spin.

[John Staddon]

I'm contributing to this thread a bit late in the day, as there hasn't been any further discussion for a year, but today I was sent a photo of a C-V8 Mk111 and asked if it was taken at JP&S. The answer is no, it must be Kelvin Way. I think the long building in the background is one of the two long buildings top right shown on the postcard which was the original subject of the thread. Notice the short row of rooflights over a longer row and the chimney behind. But in the C-V8 photo there appears to be only one building and behind it is a water tower, in the aerial view the water tower has gone and there are two long buildings with a chimney between them. Would JML demolish a large workshop to build a water tower, or remove a water tower and build another workshop? The C-V8 is 112/2457, ex-factory in March 1966 and that to me shows the second long workshop wasn't built until some time after March 1966 and so the postcard photo is also after that date.

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John

[felixkk]

Very cool. Clearly Kelvin Way. I think on your photo you have the paint stores on the right and Bay 12 behind them. On the aerial photo the water tower is there- I think- but a bit difficult to make out. I agree that Bay 13 has not been built at that point. Very interesting!

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[John Staddon]

Agreed, I have downloaded the postcard photo and zoomed in and I see the water tower is still there in front of bays 12 and 13 but the front corner of the tower is almost on the rear corner of bay 12.

John

[kees]

Surely JP&S (and Subaru dealership) was based in Kelvin Way? I have visited JP&S in Kelvin Way many times in the late seventies to mid eighties to collect spares I had ordered through the phone speaking to the charming Bettina Evans and also visited (part of) the old factory. If I remember correctly the counter was near the central entrance of the administration block. All ordered parts were usually on the counter when I arrived as often I had little time to spare as I had to catch the return ferry Hull-Hoek van Holland. Now and again I had to go to Nuneaton to the TRRL laboratories (in my first Jensen-Healey) for my job which meant I had some more time to visit Kelvin Way.
When I visited the place, the corner of the parking place in the front of the office building was usually occupied with rusty hulks, mainly Jensen Interceptors/FFs and Healeys. Other British classics and sometimes an Italian exotic were spotted in the workshop for service/repair/restoration next to various Jensens.

[mikebyrne]

Do any photos exist of the interior of bay 7 (chassis jigs) ?
If so I would be interested to see them.
Mike.

[felixkk]

Probably not what you are looking for, but these would probably be from bay 7 (photos from Stanford, Revs Institute, taken in 1972):

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STANFORD_FACT_01.jpg (79.51 KiB) Viewed 2206 times

And these from bay 6:

STANFORD_FACT_05.jpg (87.04 KiB) Viewed 2206 times

STANFORD_FACT_04.jpg (87.29 KiB) Viewed 2206 times

STANFORD_FACT_06.jpg (73.3 KiB) Viewed 2206 times

https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/

[John Staddon]

In response to Kees' comment. I had forgotten, if I ever knew, that JP&S continued at Kelvin Way. But there is a picture frame around the C-V8 photo which i have largely cropped out in the version of the photo I posted, but it is clearer in another version I sent to Ulric Woodham's and Ulric has seen the same type of frame in other factory photos which must mean the photo was taken during the time JML was at Kelvin Way and probably when the C-V8 was new.

John

[mikebyrne]

Nice photos Felix.
A massive factory in its time.A shame it all had to go. I wonder who now has the chassis jigs for the cars in the photos?
Mike.

[aslef]

Wonderful to see those pictures of the Healey production line.
Thank you so much for posting them.
My father was the project manager for the Jensen Healey as he had a background in sports car manufacture.
So very nice to see the fruit of his labour

[johnw]

Surely JP&S (and Subaru dealership) was based in Kelvin Way? I have visited JP&S in Kelvin Way many times in the late seventies to mid eighties to collect spares I had ordered through the phone speaking to the charming Bettina Evans and also visited (part of) the old factory.

I really enjoyed chatting to Bettina Evans and occasionally Bruce Collard when they were at Robey's, still unpacking boxes after the Robey purchase of J P & S assets. For what seemed like several years after the sale, they were still unpacking boxes, and would discover stocks of parts. I would imagine the process of opening boxes has been completed long ago now! My favourite part Bettina found me was a new green FF steering wheel centre. Difficult to forget that one seeing it every time you get in the car!