Bedford Dunstable plant
| Built | 1942 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England |
| Industry | Motor vehicle assembly |
| Products | Bedford Vehicles |
| Employees | 5,500 |
| Area | 98 acres (40 ha) |
| Defunct | 1992 |
The Bedford Dunstable plant was a truck and bus vehicle assembly plant, located in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Developed and opened by Vauxhall Motors in 1942 under instruction from the Ministry of Production as a shadow factory, it was transferred to the Bedford Vehicles unit in the 1950s. Closed after receivership in 1992, it was subsequently demolished and redeveloped as a retail park and associated industrial estate.
In 1931, the now General Motors owned Vauxhall launched a bus and truck division called Bedford Vehicles. Produced at the companies existing Luton site, the first Bedford's were reworked Chevrolet vehicles. Bedford introduced their first own original design, the Q series lorries and buses, turning itself into a distinctive marque.
By the start of World War II, Bedford had become a major supplier to the British Army, with the Q series being used in every possible configuration. Those destined for D-Day were waterproof tested at Wardown Park lake. In preparation for the main assault, the Ministry of Production asked Vauxhall to produce the Churchill Tank, which would require the company to access additional production. hence with Government money, the company agreed to open a new site in Dunstable.
The plant opened on a 98 acres (40 ha) site in Boscombe Road, Dunstable in 1942. As much of the output was destined for the war effort, the factory was served by the Dunstable Branch Lines, which both brought raw materials and sub-assemblies in, and took finished products out.
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