Heritage Motor Centre's Land Rover Legacy Project

Heritage Motor Centre's

Land Rover Legacy Project

Edited by JOSEPH V. KUCA

The aim of the UK's own Heritage Motor Centre's Land Rover Legacy Project is to tell the story of the Lode Lane factory, its people and products. This project was undertaken by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund and Jaguar Land Rover.

The Lode Lane factory was originally built in 1939 to manufacture aircraft parts. The factory was one of the Government’s shadow factories and known as ‘No. 2 Solihull’. From 1945, the site became the Rover Company’s headquarters and main manufacturing facility for its products. The iconic Land Rover has been produced at Lode Lane since its launch in 1948.

Land Rover Legacy Exhibition

The Land Rover Legacy Project exhibition tells the story of Land Rover's Lode Lane factory from 1940 to the present day and features photographs from the Archives of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. Many of these photographs have never before been viewed by the general public.

The exhibition is the culmination of the year-long Land Rover Legacy Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Jaguar Land Rover, with support from Solihull Libraries. The project has been led by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and has involved researching their vast archives, cataloguing material and digitising relevant images.

The project formed an integral part of the Heritage Motor Centre’s entry into this year’s Heart of England Excellence in Tourism awards, winning them joint Gold in the Regional Culture category.

During the year, the local community has contributed to the Land Rover Legacy Project at events held at the Solihull Central Library. People have brought along their own photographs and material, shared their memories and provided a valuable insight into the history of the Lode Lane factory. The exhibition features a small selection of these contributions.

SOURCE: Heritage Motor Centre