The Morris Motors factory was completely demolished in 1993 along with its landmark boiler chimney which rose 200ft. Together with the adjacent Pressed Steel Factory (now the BMW Mini Plant) it was Oxford's biggest employer for over 70 years. It's demise marked the beginning of the end of the Rover Group and with it, British-owned large scale car production. In the 1960s the complex employed almost 30,000 local people and exported cars around the world. Today just 3,500 work in the Mini Plant. The brick makes me think of the people I worked with at the factory from 1966 - 2000 and what hard work and fun it all was. The chimney was a conventional cylindrical style and made of brick. At a glance this brick looks like an ordinary housebrick but closer examination reveals that it is tapered, confirming its use within a circular section structure. It is heavier than a normal brick because it is made to withstand higher temperatures. I retrieved it on the day the demolition of the chimney was completed by giving one of the workmen £1 and asking him to bring it to me at the safety barrier
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