New artwork celebrates legacy of Coventry tractor plant and workforce
Massey Ferguson has unveiled a new public artwork which salutes the contribution of Coventry’s Banner Lane tractor manufacturing plant and workforce to the City’s industrial heritage and the development of farm mechanisation throughout the world.
The new work was commissioned by the farm equipment manufacturer Massey Ferguson and its parent company AGCO. Crafted in bronze and granite, it celebrates the production of over 3.3 million Ferguson and Massey Ferguson tractors at the Banner Lane site in Tile Hill from 1946-2003.
Richard Markwell, Vice-President and Managing Director, Massey Ferguson, Europe, Africa, Middle East (EAME) presented the artwork to the Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of the City Coventry, Cllr Hazel Noonan. Also present were Andy Peters Managing Director Persimmon Homes, South Midlands, redevelopers of the site, and Ted Everett, Massey Ferguson’s longest serving employee. They were joined by current and past AGGO and Massey Ferguson staff together with the Friends of Ferguson Heritage Club.
“Our tractors are part of the fabric of Coventry’s automotive engineering heritage. We are extremely proud of the legacy of the Banner Lane factory and the pioneering work of Harry Ferguson which initially took us to the site,” explained Richard Markwell. “The creation of this prestigious new piece is a tribute to all those who worked here over a 60-year period. They helped drive the spirit and camaraderie of one of the world’s most famous farm machinery brands and laid the foundations for its ever-growing success today.”
Thanking him, The Lord Mayor, herself from a farming background, said: “The Banner Lane plant and its workforce left a lasting footprint on the City and we are delighted to accept this wonderful new artwork. Massey Ferguson tractors generated millions of pounds in exports and helped define Coventry’s global reputation as a centre of industrial excellence. Indeed, my father owned a ‘Little Grey Fergie’ tractor and had many years of faithful service from it. The artwork is an important new addition to the City’s cultural landscape and an enduring testament to the achievements of all those who worked here over the years.” .
At 2.1 metres (7 feet) in diameter, the artwork consists of a bronze plaque set on a granite base. Sculpted in bas-relief, the plaque depicts the first and last tractors to be manufactured at the Banner Lane plant and also incorporates a portrait of Harry Ferguson, co-founder of the Massey Ferguson brand and widely recognised as the pioneer of modern tractor design.
July 6, 2014 was chosen for the unveiling of the artwork as this marked the date that the first tractor – A Ferguson TE 20 - left the assembly line 68 years ago. The last tractor – an MF 4345 - was produced in 2003. The MF4345 will stand sentinel behind the plaque.
Six months in the making, the Massey Ferguson plaque was created by acclaimed sculptor, Jemma Pearson. With a focus on figurative sculpture, her public commissions have included bronze portraits of Charles Darwin, Edward Elgar and William Gladstone.
“It was a privilege to work on the plaque – the Banner Lane plant was an enormous enterprise and clearly meant a great deal to people both locally and in the wider world,” she explains. “It is a work of great detail. As highly-engineered machines, the tractors required very intricate sculpting technique. Alongside this was the human dimension of Ferguson’s portrait where I wanted to capture the essence of his character. Overall, I have tried to encapsulate the true spirit of the Banner Lane plant and its people.”
Now known as Bannerbrook Park, the 97 acre former factory site has been transformed into a residential community which will benefit from over 1,000 new homes, new sports pitches and a local centre following major investment from leading construction firm Persimmon Homes South Midlands. Persimmon has delivered more than 750 of the homes, with a further 150 properties scheduled for completion in October 2014. In further recognition of the Massey Ferguson legacy at the site, one of the roads there has been named Ferguson Close and a new bridle path - Massey Ferguson Way - is due to open next year.
Not only did the Banner Lane plant make a major contribution to the local and national economy, the tractors built there had a huge global impact which continues to resonate profoundly throughout world agriculture today. More than 90% of tractors were exported and it was renowned as a centre for tractor design, production and expertise. Massey Ferguson was presented with the Queen’s Award for Export on four occasions.
At its peak, the 167,225 m2 (1.8 million sq ft) Banner Lane plant employed nearly 10,000 people and had the capacity to produce 100,000 fully built-up tractors and CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits per year. As labour on the land became more scarce and farmers demanded more sophisticated tractors with higher horsepower, the number of units produced gradually reduced. Following a review of AGCO’s worldwide manufacturing operation, the factory closed in 2003 and European tractor production was consolidated at Beauvais in France. AGCO fully vacated the Banner Lane site in 2006 and established a European Office facility at Abbey Park Stoneleigh, some eight miles away, where it employs 500 people. This is a centre for a wide range of functions including Sales and Marketing, Customer Support, Finance and Accounting, Legal Services and IT. It also houses the company’s Training Centre for the UK and Ireland.
Massey Ferguson is a global farm machinery brand producing a wide range of tractors, harvesting equipment and agricultural implements. Its famous red-liveried equipment is distributed in 140 countries. “Today, MF has one of its strongest ever machinery line-ups with numerous international awards to our name,” adds Richard Markwell. “We continue to uphold the philosophy and legacy of Harry Ferguson by providing straightforward, dependable equipment which farmers can rely on to care for their vital crops and livestock.”
