green plaque · Coventry

Green plaque № 33181

Swift Quinton Works. Originally the office block of S. & B. Gorton's Cycle Works, built in 1890 (Quinton Cycle Company 1891, New Beeston Cycle Company 1896). Under the motor enterpreneur, Harry J. Lawson, the latter company produced a 11/4 - hp motor tricycle here in August 1896, the only British-built entry in the London to Brighton 'Emancipation Run' that November. Along with the Daimler wagonettes assembled at the 'Motor Mills' in 1896, it marks the birth of the British Motor Industry in Coventry. As the Beeston Motor Company, the firm produced cars commercially from 1897-1900. The building then became Radenaker's Chocloate Factory until 1905 and the Swift Motor Company Works until 1931. It was restored and adapted for use as an hotel in 1998-99.

Inscription drawn from imported open data, awaiting original TributeLegacy editorial.

Source: Open Plaques. Geographic data via OpenStreetMap.

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Open Plaques, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). See openplaques.org.
Wikidata, available under the CC0 1.0 Universal dedication.
Historic England, National Heritage List for England, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. War memorial records are drawn from open community datasets (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NHLE) — never from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is excluded.

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