Mini Plant – Oxford

About this excursion

£99 per person (National Trust Members – £91)

The MINI Plant – Oxford

Each MINI is manufactured to individual customer specifications and around 1,000 MINIs leave the plant‘s assembly line each day, off to meet new owners in more than 110 countries around the world.

Since production of new MINI started in 2001, more than 3 million cars have been made at Plant Oxford. However, the plant‘s heritage goes back much further than that – it is a site with more than 100 years of automotive manufacturing history, which has become a landmark in the ‘city of dreaming spires’.

Please note they advise no open toed shoes should be worn on this tour and the MINI Plant Tour is not wheelchair accessible. However, wheelchair users are welcome to visit the exhibition area. Also, the tour is not suitable for people with pacemakers for health and safety reasons.

History of the Mini

In 1913 – a young cycling enthusiast, William Morris, made a decision to establish a car plant in the Cowley area of Oxford. The first car to be produced was a two seater Morris Oxford in 1913, assembled on a stationary production line, which became known as the ‘Bullnose Morris’. 1913

In the 1950s, Morris‘ Oxford factories produced a wide variety of models, including the Morris Minor, as post-war demand for cars rapidly grew around the world. In 1959 the model that was to make the biggest impact on the British motor industry was the classic Mini, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis. The first Mini rolled off the production line on 8 May 1959

Between 1959 and 1968, 602,817 Minis were manufactured at plant Oxford, with a peak output of 94,889 cars during 1966/67.

Today each MINI is manufactured to individual customer specifications and around 1,000 MINIs leave the plant‘s assembly line each day, off to meet new owners in more than 110 countries around the world. Since production of new MINI started in 2001, more than 3 million cars have been made at Plant Oxford. But the plant‘s heritage goes back much further than that – it is a site with more than 100 years of automotive manufacturing history, which has become a landmark in the ‘city of dreaming spires’.

Lunch

We shall stop for lunch at The George Hotel. This lovely historic building comes complete with oak beams and inglenook fireplaces and with all the advantages of a modern hotel. The George Hotel is a striking, idyllic 15th Century coaching inn, built in 1495 it is one of the oldest coaching inns in the country, allowing you to tread on the path of history.

The hotel has been used over the years as a location for Midsomer Murders and is situated opposite the famous Dorchester Abbey & Museum.

Nuffield Place

In the afternoon we visit Nuffield Place. This was the home of one of the most remarkable men of the 20th century – William Morris, Lord Nuffield, founder of the Morris Motor Company.

Nuffield Place, a National Trust Property, reveals the surprisingly down-to-earth lives of Lord Nuffield and his wife. Their home and personal possessions are just as they left them, the decor and furnishings intact.

From the comfortable sitting room with a small black and white TV, to Lord Nuffield’s humble bedroom with a secret built-in workshop, this intimate home exudes the tastes and interests of its remarkable owner.

As an Arts and Crafts house, the garden was designed in conjunction with the house in 1914, laid out by Oswald Partridge Milne. The Nuffield’s made minor changes to reflect current fashions, rather than any major re-modelling.

There’s a small shop with gifts inspired by Lord Nuffield and a small tea room where you can indulge in tea and cake before we leave for home.

The cost of this day includes luxury coach transport, entry and your of the MINI Plant, Oxford, lunch at The George Hotel, entry to Nuffield Place and, of course, treats. National Trust Members have free entry into Nuffield Place, so they can deduct £8 from the cost of the trip.

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