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Rootes Birmingham

I worked in Rootes IT department 1969. If I remember correctly Cliff Sumner was head of IT. I didnt stay long, Rootes way of working didnt suit me and I didnt suit Rootes. My previous company heard I wasnt happy and offered me my old job back.
 
Hi Tony, yes I remember the computer block where he used to work....especially the awful coffee machine! Still punch cards then if I remember ok. He was always off to work on Saturday mornings to fix something that had gone belly up there. Cliff retired early in the 80's when lots of guys were being made redundant and he chose to go with them.
 
Yes I remember the data preparation department at Rootes. Large department of ladies on the top floor of the Computer block all producing cards and paper tape. This is another occupation that has disappeared and good riddance to it. Must have been boring. The Computer there had one disc drive and in those days had to be maintained by and engineer that used a wooden stick with a lint free cloth attached soaked in fluid to clean the surface. Talk about primitive. Got out of there as soon as I could.
 
shyster2008 said:
It was indeed a Rootes Factory...In fact, the only Rootes Factory that was in Birmingham...
There were 4 Advertising Slogans on the top of the Building that read "Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam, Singer"....(Not sure whether I got them in the right order)
I worked next door at George Heath Motors....Our Building was to the left of the photo and the Rootes Social Club was to the right.
Used to go to "Bedders" for Lunch....Best Chipshop on the Planet...
At the time I lived in Newbridge Road which was a 15 minutes walk to work...
I think I have some old Photos of the Rootes Building...Will need to go and dig in the "Archives" for them!!!!!
Brian
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Was this where George Heath's had their massive spares department? I went there once in the 1970s. It was definitely on Coventry Road.
 
I worked at ROOTES factory o the Coventry Road as a cost accountant in the 1950s Rode my bike their everyday rain or shine from Yardley, Humber Hillman parts.
 
rocketron said:
Hi I’m looking for photos of Rootes Birmingham in Charllote Street, and Coventry Road Small Heath later known as George Heath Motors.

Ron
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Hi, know this is going off track but there was a Rootes dealeship in Moseley. R E GREEN'S that was in the building next to W H Smith. My father worked there for 20 years and I believe the building used to be used to stable the Birmingham Police mounted division's horses. indeed various brackets and rings remained on the walls.
 
My late father in law worked at Rootes on the Coventry Road. My husband had an Hillman imp he loved that car.
 
Skiprat1965 said:
I have just found and uploaded this picture on my Flickr pages, although it is of a BMMO S6 on Lower Temple St, just turning into Stephenson St, there is clearly a Rootes Dealership on the corner.

https://flic.kr/p/2nm8tac
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Lower Temple St. Shakespeare Pub and Temple Bar In the basement. Temple Bar was a Mod hang out. I used to go in there on a regular basis. Wash my Purple Hearts or French Blues down with a Black Velvet. Alcohol and Speed not a good combination but did it give me some confidence to pull the Totty.
 
Best thing around there nowadays is Bedders Chippy Hay Mills Rd jnc Coventry Rd. New York Times came over and did a supplement about the place years ago.
 
Astonian said:
Yes shortie is correct i know i lived across the rd from it on the cocventry rd and seen the demolition of it as well and when the car sales was reformed and set up and i seen the disapeareance of there sales fore court ; and watched the building of asda daily fom our housefront room on the coventry facing asda super store and watch the wekly or fornight robberys of there stores on a fortninghtly basis even thou they had security ;
they used to ram raid the front revolving doors and there fag counter was only a couple of feet inside the door ;
they must have spent a fortune in the early years of opening ; but eventualy they finaly got it together and changed the whol concept ;
best wishes Astonian
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Hello,
I use to live opposite (nearly) the Rootes building , my bedroom was the front of the house onto Coventry Rd , at night the neon signs would light the building up advertising the different makes of cars Humber, Singer, Hillman, etc
 
Covroad said:
Hello,
I use to live opposite (nearly) the Rootes building , my bedroom was the front of the house onto Coventry Rd , at night the neon signs would light the building up advertising the different makes of cars Humber, Singer, Hillman, etc
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Bonus Bedders chip shop down the road on the corner.
 
Terence David Lines said:
Bonus Bedders chip shop down the road on the corner.
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Yes, I remember Bill Bedder and his son John , as they would close the shop quite early on a Friday for a fish and chip shop in those days.
you would see them in the small lounge of the Hay Mills Tavern having a well deserved couple of pints on Friday.
on Friday evening the you could see the queue forming outside the shop for the 4 .30 (I think) opening time and the shop both takeaway and sit in would be rammed.
 
mw0njm. said:
my dad had a fiber glass bond 875 hillman imp based car,while driving to wales the engine fell out and was nearly on the rd... no rear cross member it was just bolted into the plastic body
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That's too funny! The rear engine mount on Imps was a hanger type mount bolted to the removable rear body panel that was held in place to the body with about 4 fasteners, 2 each side. So, it doesn't surprise me that the engine almost fell out on the ground on the "Plastic Fantastic", as we called the Bond Bug.

Our local Rootes dealership in Erdington, was directly across from the Yenton pub at the corner of Sutton New Road and Chester Road. My Dad being a prototype engineer often had to travel out to the Rootes factory for his employer (The Perfecta) when I was younger.

My recollection of working on Imps, Stilletos and Commer Imp vans, was that they were weird handling little things until their final days when the problems got worked out. Overheating and valve burning was a big issue, so it was good that the engine almost fell out! The "British Corvair" was what we called them, because of the copy cat "styling" and road handling.

I could have the engine out on the ground quite literally in about 15 minutes, following an almost identical routine to the VW Beetles of the day. Off came the rear bumper and back panel to the body with hanger engine mount attached, while the engine and transaxle was supported on a floor jack. Disconnect the electrics, air throttle line, choke and fuel line and a handful of bellhousing fasteners then pull the engine off the transaxle.

I serviced and repaired many Imps in the late '60s to early '70s and also some might remember that Collins TV had a fleet of Commer Imp vans trundling around, some of which I routinely worked on.

Those familiar with working on the Imps will recall the air throttle on the earliest models that was troublesome and replaced with a traditional control. The Stilletto with twin Stombergs was as good as they got, but it was too little, too late with the Minis and Anglias already out there in huge numbers and with way better reliability.

Martin
 
Covroad said:
Yes, I remember Bill Bedder and his son John , as they would close the shop quite early on a Friday for a fish and chip shop in those days.
you would see them in the small lounge of the Hay Mills Tavern having a well deserved couple of pints on Friday.
on Friday evening the you could see the queue forming outside the shop for the 4 .30 (I think) opening time and the shop both takeaway and sit in would be rammed.
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I lived in Tyseley for a while, after moving to Halesowen we still used to drive to Hay Mills for fish and Chips. Dinner time the queue used to start to form at 11.20/11.30 for 11.45 opening time.
 
Hired an Imp in 1970 and off we went to Bologna. Good small vehicle for two people to go on a camping holiday, massive "boot" at the front, lots of space on the folded rear seats. I suppose we did some 2000 miles in a fortnight without missing a beat. Picture. In Lauterbrunnen.
 

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Finally found a photo of Rootes Birmingham in Charlotte Street. The building with the Rootes sign across the windows is still there. At the time of the photo it was the entrance to the spares department.
 

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