Crossley Motors
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Crossley Motors was an English motor vehicle manufacturer based in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England. It produced approximately 19,000 cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958, and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.
Crossley Brothers Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group. More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines ...
, originally manufacturers of textile machinery and rubber processing plant, began the licensed manufacture of the Otto internal combustion engine before 1880. The firm started car production in 1903, building around 650 vehicles in their first year. The company was established as a division of engine builders Crossley Brothers, but from 1910 became a stand-alone company. Although founded as a car maker, they were major suppliers of vehicles to British Armed Forces during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and in the 1920s moved into bus manufacture. With re-armament in the 1930s, car-making was run down, and stopped completely in 1936. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
output was again concentrated on military vehicles. Bus production resumed in 1945 but no more cars were made. The directors decided in the late 1940s that the company was too small to survive alone and agreed to a take over by AEC. Production at the Crossley factories finally stopped in 1958.


Overview

Crossley Motors Ltd was first registered on 11 April 1906 (and re-registered with a different company number in 1910) as the vehicle manufacturing arm of
Crossley Brothers Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group. More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines ...
. The first car was actually built in 1903 to a design by James S. Critchley, who had been with Daimler and exhibited at the Society of Motor Manufacturers' Exhibition at
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
in February 1904, but the parent company saw a future for these new machines and decided a separate company was required. In 1920, Crossley Motors bought 34,283 (68.5%) of the 50,000 issued shares of the nearby firm of Avro. Crossley took over Avro's car manufacturing business and Avro continued its aircraft manufacturing operations independently. In 1928, Crossley had to sell its shares in Avro to
Armstrong Siddeley Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury vehicles and aircraft engines. The company was created following t ...
to pay for the losses incurred by the
Willys Overland Crossley Willys Overland Crossley was a company jointly owned by Crossley Motors and Willys-Overland. They had factories in Stockport, England; Berlin, Germany; and Antwerp, Belgium. The company was formed in 1919 and continued until 1934. They manufacture ...
venture. After World War II, the directors decided that the company was not large enough to prosper and looked for a partner. This resulted in a take over by
Associated Equipment Company Associated Equipment Company (AEC) was a British vehicle manufacturer that built buses, motorcoaches and trucks from 1912 until 1979. The name Associated Equipment Company was hardly ever used; instead it traded under the AEC and ACLO brands. ...
(AEC) in 1948. AEC's parent company changed its name to Associated Commercial Vehicles and Crossley became a division of it. Production of the Crossley range of vehicles continued at the Stockport plant until 1952. After that date, production turned to badge-engineered AEC designs and bus bodywork, until the factory was closed in 1958 and sold in 1959. Although no longer trading, the company was never formally wound up. In 1969, AEC's new owner,
British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
, restarted the company with a new name –
Leyland National The Leyland National is an integrally-constructed United Kingdom, British high-floor, step-floor single-decker bus manufactured in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industri ...
– and production of single-decker buses recommenced.


Factories

Production was originally in the Crossley Brothers factory in Openshaw, Manchester but in 1907 moved to a nearby site in Napier Street,
Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hig ...
. (Napier Street was later renamed Crossley Street). With the steady increase in vehicle production, the limits of the Gorton site were in turn soon reached, and in 1914 a further 48 acre (194,000 m²) site was bought in
Heaton Chapel Heaton Chapel is an area in the northern part of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it borders the Manchester districts of Levenshulme to the north, the Stockport districts of He ...
, Stockport which became the Errwood Park Works. Construction of the new factory started in 1915, and although intended to relieve congestion on the old site, it was rapidly given over to war work. The western half of the site, built in 1917, but only managed by Crossley Motors, became National Aircraft Factory No. 2. In 1919, this factory was bought from the government and became the
Willys Overland Crossley Willys Overland Crossley was a company jointly owned by Crossley Motors and Willys-Overland. They had factories in Stockport, England; Berlin, Germany; and Antwerp, Belgium. The company was formed in 1919 and continued until 1934. They manufacture ...
plant, but was eventually sold to
Fairey Aviation The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire. Notable for the design of a number of important military a ...
in 1934. In 1938, the eastern side became another aircraft factory, this time managed by Fairey, and after World War II, it became the final home of Crossley Motors. Re-armament work caused the search for more space and in 1938 a factory was opened in Greencroft Mill, Hyde, about east of Errwood Park.


Labour activism

Jack Munro William James Munro (1873 – 12 January 1948) was a British trade unionist. Born to British parents in India, Munro's father served in the British Indian Army, and Munro lived there until he was twelve. The family then moved to Manchester, ...
was a
shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...
at Crossley Motors during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was also active in the
shop stewards movement The Shop Stewards Movement was a movement which brought together shop stewards from across the United Kingdom during the First World War. It originated with the Clyde Workers Committee, the first shop stewards committee in Britain, which organised a ...
in Manchester. He played leading role in the 1917 strike at the factory. As well as Munro,
Harry Ingle Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
, Jack Halstead and Fred Flood were active in the
Plebs League The Plebs' League was a British educational and political organisation which originated around a Marxist way of thinking in 1908 and was active until 1926. History Central to the formation of the League was Noah Ablett, a miner from the Rhondda ...
and part of the Crossley Shop Stewards Committee. They organised a class of 109 students studying
economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
from a marxist perspective. Munro and Ingle went on to play a part in the
Manchester Labour College Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
.


Vehicles

Production of the first cars was on a small scale but from 1909 when a new range was introduced it rapidly built up. In that year the 20 hp was introduced (later called the 20/25) and this was taken up by the
War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
and from 1913 it was ordered for the new Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The outbreak of World War I resulted in a rapid expansion of the RFC, and by 1918 they had over 6,000 of the vehicles with staff car, tender (light truck), and ambulance bodies. Crossley 25/30 hp Tenders were used by British paramilitary police ("
Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...
" and the Auxiliary Division) in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence (19191922). The National Army of the new
Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...
continued to use them for troop transport throughout the Civil War period, but they were worked hard: of 454 originally supplied, only 57 were in service by 1926 with a further 66 being overhauled or repaired. The 20/25 model was also the first vehicle to be supplied to London's Metropolitan Police
Flying Squad The Flying Squad is a branch of the Serious and Organised Crime Command within London's Metropolitan Police Service. It is also known as the Robbery Squad, Specialist Crime Directorate 7, SC&O7 and SO7. It is nicknamed The Sweeney, an abbreviat ...
in 1920, some of which were fitted with radio equipment. Car production resumed after World War I and a new model, the 19.6, was launched in 1921 and joined in 1922 by the smaller 2.4 litre 14 hp model that would become the company's best seller. The 19.6 was replaced by the 2.7 litre 18/50 in 1925 fitted with Crossley's first six-cylinder engine and this was enlarged in 1927 to 3.2 litres in the 20.9. Crossley were the first British car company to offer a factory fitted car radio in 1933. Although the large cars would continue to be available, a range of small models fitted with
Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer. History Pre WW1 The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was reloca ...
engines was announced in 1931 but sales of the cars slowly declined and the last ones were made in 1937. By the late 1920s the market for hand-made cars began to disappear and the company moved into the bus market and launched its first model, the Eagle single decker in 1928. Although some double deck bodies were fitted to the Eagle, the Condor launched in 1930 was the first chassis to be designed for double decker bodies. The Condor could also be ordered with a diesel engine, made by Gardner at first, and became the first British double deck bus to be offered with diesel power. The big selling pre-war bus was the Mancunian with first deliveries in 1933. This was available as both a double and single decker. In addition to cars and buses the company also made goods and military vehicles. At first these were conversions of the car models but starting with the BGT1 in 1923 specialised chassis designs were produced. Two Crossley trucks based on the 25/30 car chassis were from 1924 to 1926 the first vehicles to be driven from Cape Town to Cairo by the
Court Treatt expedition Stella Maud Court Treatt, FRGS (née Hinds; 1895 – 1976) was a South African filmmaker, author, and adventurer who with her first husband Chaplin Court Treatt undertook the Court Treatt Expedition 1924–1926, the first successful attempt ...
. A range of heavy goods vehicles starting with the 1931 diesel-powered 12-ton payload Atlas was announced but only a few were made as the factory was by then gearing up to concentrate on buses and military orders. From 1936 military production was rapidly ramped up with British re-armament at first with "IGL" models but from 1940 with a
four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...
"FWD" chassis in both tractor unit and truck form. By 1945 over 10,000 FWDs had been made. After World War II there was a boom in the bus industry as wartime losses needed to be replaced. Crossley won what was then the largest ever British export order for buses with a contract with the Dutch government. By the late 1940s bus orders were decreasing and it became clear that the company was too small to continue as an independent manufacturer and in 1948 they were sold to AEC. The last Crossley chassis was made in 1952, but body production continued at Erwood Park until 1958.


Cars produced

* 22 hp 1904–1908 * 40 hp 1905–1910 * 15 hp 1909–1915 * Shelsley sports 1909–1915 * 20/25 1909–1919 * 25/30 1918–1925 * 19.6 hp 1921–1926 * 14 hp and 15/30 1922–1927 * Crossley-Bugatti 1923–1925 * 20/70 sports 1922–1926 * 18/50 1925–1927 * 20.9 hp 1927–1931 * 15.7 hp 1928–1931 * Golden 1930–1935 * Silver 1930–1934 * Ten 1931–1934 * Streamline 1933 * Sports Saloon 1934–1937 * Regis 1934–1937


Buses

*
Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
1928–1930 * Hawk 1929 * Six/Alpha 1930–1931 *
Condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vu ...
1930–1934 * Mancunian 1933–1940 * TDD4 (
Trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
) 1935–1942 * TDD6 (Trolleybus) 1935–1942 * DD42 1942–1953 * SD42 1946–1952 * PT42 1946–1949 * TDD42 Empire (Trolleybus) 1948–1951 * TDD64 Dominion (Trolleybus) 1948–1951


Military vehicles

* 20/25 1912–1920 * BGT 1923 * IGL 4 wheel 1923–1926 * Crossley Kégresse 1925-1927 * IGL 6 wheel 1927–1931 * BGV 1927–1929 * IGA Armoured car 1928–1929 * FWD 1940–1945


Commercial vehicles

* 15cwt van 1913 * 14 hp van 1925 * 15cwt 1927 * Atlas 1931 * Beta 1933 * Delta 1931–1937


See also

*
Crossley Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group. More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines ...
*
Willys Overland Crossley Willys Overland Crossley was a company jointly owned by Crossley Motors and Willys-Overland. They had factories in Stockport, England; Berlin, Germany; and Antwerp, Belgium. The company was formed in 1919 and continued until 1934. They manufacture ...
*
Cairo – Cape Town Highway Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
* List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom


References


Sources

* * * *


External links


Crossley Motors website



The Crossley Regis car
* {{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Defunct bus manufacturers of the United Kingdom Defunct truck manufacturers of the United Kingdom Military vehicle manufacturers Trolleybus manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1906 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1948 Defunct companies based in Manchester Manufacturing companies based in Manchester British Royal Warrant holders Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United Kingdom 1905 establishments in England 1958 disestablishments in England