Former David Brown (aston martin DB series) factory in Farsley

deano_bramley · Post by **deano_bramley** » Fri 29 Jun, 2007 1:47 pm

Does anyboys have any information about a former Car Factory in Farsley behind the manor house art gallery thing in the park behind where tradex used to be. There is now a new housing estate there. I was told that a few of the first Db series were produced here before the factory was closed and moved elsewhere? ..........Also does anyboys have information about the old George Cohen 600 factory behind farsley celtic which is now new housing?Furthermore does anyboys know about the bottle bank which used to be where Farsley Celtic is now situated.. When they resurfaced the pitch a few seasons ago they found absolutely loads of bottles under the pitch

pedro · Post by **pedro** » Sun 21 Oct, 2007 11:25 pm

As a boy in the 50`s I remember the Aston Martin test drivers on the Horsforth Ring Road. They would be driving bare chassis with no bodywork. Sitting on seats lashed to the chassis and wearing goggles and flat caps turned back to front. Sometimes they would stop and make adjustments, then climb back on board and roar away. Anyone else from the Rodley area remember this?

Inquirer · Post by **Inquirer** » Wed 24 Oct, 2007 11:19 am

I used to live on New Street in Farsley and can remember the Aston Martin cars being driven along Newlands (a concrete block road at that time). I recall a story in the old Pudsey and Stanningley News about King Hussein of Jordan coming to the factory to test his new car. The site next to Farsley Celtic was a quarry and later a tip (I 'played out' there as a child!). Does anyone else remember the old tram near Farsley Beck between Throstle Nest and Stanningley?

pedro · Post by **pedro** » Wed 24 Oct, 2007 11:24 pm

I remember in the 1950`s a footpath from the bottom of Coal Hill ( Beck Bottom) which led up to Stanningley Town Street, through a tunnel which I think went under Cohens 600 works. At the Beck Bottom end was a field absolutely full of old tramcars.

wyorksau · Post by **wyorksau** » Thu 13 Dec, 2007 7:37 am

Hello, I'm new here, but I too remember the 'tunnel' under the 600 factory. We used to visit my Auntie who lived on Burton St, Farsley; getting off the bus on Town St ( leeds/Bradford Rd) and going under the 600 factory then across the playing fields to Burton St. Cheers. Peter F.

isambard01 · Post by **isambard01** » Sun 11 May, 2008 12:22 pm

Here is a photograph of Cohen Work's tunnel - Stanningley Town Street to Farsley (near Farsley Celtic).

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 11 May, 2008 12:53 pm

pedro wrote: I remember in the 1950`s a footpath from the bottom of Coal Hill ( Beck Bottom) which led up to Stanningley Town Street, through a tunnel which I think went under Cohens 600 works. At the Beck Bottom end was a field absolutely full of old tramcars. Presumably Cohens cut them up for scrap - that's what they were into among other things - although I seem to remember Dunlop and Ranken being part of the 600 Group - or have I imagined that?There was a programme on TV about twenty years ago about David Brown and the Aston Martin. David Browns core business wa building gearboxes for heavy trucks (Foden mainly) and agricultural tractors.One of their biggest customers said to David Brown, after placing a large order for tractors that he thought he should get an Aston Martin at "cost" He got the car, and an invoice for £2500, the showroom price was £2000 - they were apparently losing £500 on each car - it was mainly a prestige thing with them.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 11 May, 2008 4:14 pm

Opposite the George Cohen factory site at Stanningley was the British operation of J I Case, who built the Case Crawler tractor there.J I Case are a big American company who build industrial crawler and wheeled machines, but also agricultural tractors, by a co-indidence they bought the David Brown tractor building operation in the seventies - by this time I don't think David Brown owned Aston Martin.

trophy · Post by **trophy** » Sat 17 May, 2008 11:02 pm

i can also remember aston martins being tested on the road from rodley up to horsforth they used to park in the end of our street to fill in the test sheet.when isaw them they had an old unpainted body with no interior trim and the tester wore a white coat.

Nick_Stevens · Post by **Nick_Stevens** » Sun 18 May, 2008 2:02 pm

I'm not suprised to hear the David Brown used Leeds to build Aston Martin cars - he was after all a Yorkshireman owning a gear making company in Huddersfield which is still trading today but owned by the Textron Group.As far as I'm aware though, and having asked a friend of the family who worked at Newport Pagnall, only chassis were produced at a Farsley/Rodley as well as variety of other David Brown sites. He says that full and final production (including chassis) took place at Newport Pagnall from 1954 - prior to this time it had been in Feltham.Perhaps Rodley was used as a "remote" engineering/service depot for "The North"?David Brown also had facilities just outside Pool in Wharfedale and, apparently, kept a plane at Leeds Bradford.