Major Fire at Spurrier Works, Leyland (Torque 55)

Many Society members will be aware that there was a major fire at the Lancashire Enterprise Business Park, the former Leyland Spurrier factory in Centurion Way, Leyland in December of last year.  The fire started around 5pm on 21st December and destroyed 5 buildings on the site, including what was formerly known as No.8 Shop at the rear of the old Spurrier Works.  Full details of the circumstances of how the fire started have not been released but it is believed to have reached an area used for storing tissue paper from where it then spread rapidly to neighbouring warehouses.  At the peak of the fire, Centurion Way and Wheelton Lane were both closed to traffic and around 100 firemen were fighting the blaze.  The main West Coast railway line, which runs along the eastern boundary of the site, was also closed for a while due to fears that empty beer barrels stored near the railway line might explode due to the heat and damage passing trains or the overhead power lines. The glow of the fire was visible all around the Leyland area and continued to burn for many days before finally being declared extinguished on 13th January 2012. 

Unfortunately, the damage caused by the fire was not just confined to the buildings themselves. Well-known transport company Bowkers were using a building next to the tissue paper storage warehouse and sparks and flames quickly spread to Bowkers premises resulting in an estimated £20m of damage to building and contents.

Many Society members will be aware that Bowkers owned a superbly restored 1934 Leyland Beaver which had appeared at many Leyland Society Gatherings and we are sad to report that this vehicle is believed to have been destroyed in the fire.  Another unique Leyland was also lost in the fire, the Leyland Comet Gas Turbine tractor unit, part of the British Commercial Vehicle Museum collection, was being stored in the Bowker warehouse and was also engulfed in the inferno.  The BCVM have not been allowed access to the area to see if any part of their vehicle has survived but it is considered very unlikely that there will be much trace of either of these classic Leylands.  The roof of the building collapsed due to the heat from the fire and the remains of the buildings are unsafe so are in the process of being demolished.  

The Spurrier factory was set up by the Ministry of Supply during the Second World War for the production of munitions and was taken over by Leyland Motors at the end of hostilities Leyland used the building to carry out machining of major engine and vehicle components including cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, camshafts and other major casting as well as assembly and testing of O.400 and O.680 series engines.  More recently, the building had been used by Albion Automotive to manufacture components for DAF trucks and their own range of axles before the plant closed at the end of 2010.  The twisted remains of this immense building that once dominated the skyline of Leyland’s Spurrier Works are a particularly sad sight for all enthusiasts.  There can be few Leylands that did not have components machined or assembled in this major manufacturing facility that is now gone forever.

Gary Dwyer (Photos by Gary)

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