Building Name

Ford Motor Company Dagenham Works

Date
1928 - 1931
District/Town
Dagenham
County/Country
Essex, England
Client
Ford Motor Company
Work
New Build
Contractor
Redpath Brown & Company

Although in semi-retirement, in 1928 Charles Henry Heathcote was requested by the Ford Motor Company to supervise the building of their Dagenham Works. Contractor Redpath Brown & Company.

This was the first integrated car factory in Great Britain based upon American manufacturing methods. The huge complex included blast furnaces for steel production while the assembly sheds were of steel frame construction for lightness and maximum uninterrupted floor space.  "The subordination of a factory scheme to the layout of vital and intricate plant and machinery and to production sequence is clearly acknowledged; but the attention has been increasingly focused on the welfare of occupants, on the amenities of the site and its surroundings and on the necessity for comprehensive treatment and a master plan for orderly development". (Edward Mills 1959)

An exhibition of films was shown on Friday August 14, by the Ford Motor Company at their showrooms, 88 Regent Street, W1. Among the various films was one showing the progress being made at the company's new works at Dagenham. The architects, Messrs Charles Heathcote and Son have included a number of interesting architectural features in their design for this huge structure, The site is of a marshy character and a large number of concrete piles 80 feet long and a few feet apart have been driven in in large numbers. According to Messrs Ford, the new factory wil be completed by the end of this year. [Builder 21 August 1931 Page 323]

Reference           Builder 21 August 1931 Page 323