William Morris Building

Built by French company Hotchkiss and Cie in 1917 to make machine guns, this building was later bought by the Morris car company for engine works. Coventry pioneered car production and this building, now the William Morris, is home to our Coventry Business School.

William Morris – was born in Worcester in 1877. He set up his own bicycle repair business at the age of 16 before moving into motor manufacturing. By 1925 he was Britain’s largest motor manufacturer, based in Cowley, Oxfordshire. Hotchkiss Company were based in France producing machine guns during WW1, but quickly moved to Coventry due the threat of the German invasion. By the end of WW1 the company agreed to produce gearboxes and engines for the Morris Motors Ltd. By 1923 the Morris Company took over the running of the factory. In 1930 he became Lord Nuffield and turned his attention to healthcare and education. He invested £2m to establish its modern Medical School and to Nuffield College. In 1958, in recognition of Morris’ major contributions to science and medicine, Queen Elizabeth II made Morris a Companion of Honour, the most prestigious of honours awarded by the Queen.