The birth of the new machine shop at Baginton dates back to 1965 and the introduction of the new CX range of tractors at Banner lane. More space was needed to accommodate the new tractors. Unable to extend on the existing Banner lane site, the company was forced to look elsewhere for extra production capacity.
Prime spot
Eight miles down the road (A45) the Coventry Trading Estate was just emerging as a prime location for new industry in the area. The estate was next to the Coventry Airport, and Massey Ferguson leased a 375,000 sq ft unit on the new site. Before any move to the machine shop unit building, I was asked to photograph the whole of the building for defaults; cracked floors, damaged walls, roofs, and anything that looked or needed attention.
It was at the time they called “the Coventry holiday two-week break”. I was there for most of that two weeks to complete the
