Plaque, 1963 T.1984.19
Courtesy of Culture and Sport Glasgow (Museums)“It looks to me as if everything humanly possible has been done to ensure success. This is a great moment for Linwood and for the Rootes Group.”
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 2 May 1963
The new wonder Hillman Imp has completely transformed the workless and underdeveloped area of Linwood. In just 2 years it has changed Linwood village into the nucleus of a new town.
This whole enterprise can only succeed if the end-product - the Imp - is well designed, well-built and thoroughly competitive in world markets both in price and technical efficiency. In the long run it is not industry, governments or development corporations which create jobs.
Rootes Linwood promised much, but fell because of a combination of Trade union belligerence and weak management, both common within the U.K. motor industry of the period. The wages at Linwood were the highest in Scotland at the time and unfortunately many of the workforce thought they had a job for life. The later products made here, Avenger and Hunters etc.when Chrysler took over, were as good as the rest, but it was too late and closure became inevitable.
Were you impressed by the Imp - or can people from the west coast of Scotland only built ships? Were you excited when the Imp was launched at Linwood?
Do you remember Linwood closing? Do you think more efforts should have been made to keep it open?
Surely, if the car was good enough, the factory would have survived?
There were some 400 “distinguished guests” at the launch. The plant didn’t seem finished and it was smart beyond belief. I remember cars being driven from one part of the plant to another to give the impression of greater activity.
It was Scotland's greatest industrial occasion since the launching of the Queen Mary. And from the moment he arrived at the factory at Linwood … until his departure five hours later, the Duke [of Edinburgh] showed he knew just HOW important it was to Scotland's economy.
I saw Prince Philip at the launch. He took a tour round the factory – as soon as he had passed, we had to get back to work.
Before the launch, they tried to keep the car design secret – but they were out testing it on the roads. The staff were invited to a viewing – we went for the free refreshments.
