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Location Category ID:
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3760
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Added to Database:
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24 April 2010
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Last Edited:
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24 April 2010
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Address: |
Alvis Vickers Limited, Scotswood Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE99 1BX
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Telephone: |
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Email: |
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Opening Times: |
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Official Website: |
Alvis Vickers – Under Construction
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Other Links: |
Google Street View
Scotswood Road
Recent News
Armstrong’s Newcastle - PDF
Wikipedia: Armstrong Whitworth
Wikipedia: Vickers-Armstrongs
Wikipedia: Vickers plc
Vickers down the years
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Latitude, Longitude: |
54.96549439
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-1.66872025
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Location Accuracy: |
7
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Tanks Previously Here: |
Tanks confirmed built here:
1: Mark IV Light Tank - The Tank Museum - Reserve Collection, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Built March 1935)
2: Vickers-Carden-Loyd Model 1934 Light Tank - Panzermuseum, Thun, Bern, Switzerland (Manufactured August 1934)
3: Vickers-Carden-Loyd Model 1934 Light Tank - Panzermuseum, Thun, Bern, Switzerland (Manufactured August 1934)
4: Mark VIB Light Tank - The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Manufactured April 1939)
5: FV4201 Chieftain Tank - ATDU and Solitary Vehicles, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Built as a Mark 2)
6: FV4201 Chieftain Tank - Royal Armoured Corps Gunnery School, Lulworth Camp, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Built as a Mark 2)
7: Chieftain Crazy Horse Tank - The Tank Museum - Reserve Collection, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Built as Mark 1)
8: Valentine Tank - The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Built October 1940 – presumed by Vickers)
9: Valentine Bridgelayer - The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Built October 1940 – presumed by Vickers)
Models of tank built here:
1: Carden-Loyd Mark VI Tankette (Sole manufacturer 1928-)
2: Praying Mantis Carrier (Design parent of base carrier)
3: Vickers 6-ton Light Tank (Sole manufacturer 1934-8)
4: Mark II Light Tank (Sole manufacturer ca1930)
5: Mark IIA Light Tank (Sole manufacturer ca1930)
6: Mark IV Light Tank (Sole manufacturer)
7: Vickers-Carden-Loyd Model 1934 Light Tank (Sole manufacturer 1934)
8: Vickers Model 1936 Light Tank - Vickers Model 1936 Commercial Dutchman (Sole manufacturer 1936-9)
9: Mark VIA Light Tank (Sole manufacturer 1936-)
10: Mark VIB Light Tank (Primary manufacturer)
11: Mark VIC Light Tank (Primary manufacturer -1940)
12: Mark VII Tetrarch Airborne Light Tank (Design parent)
13: Mark VII Tetrarch CS Airborne Light Tank (Design parent)
14: L1E3 Amphibious Light Tank (Manufacturer of sole prototype May 1939)
15: Mark VIII Harry Hopkins Light Tank (Design parent)
16: Medium Mark II Tank (Design parent and manufacturer)
17: Medium Mark II* Tank (Design parent and manufacturer)
18: Medium Mark IIA Tank (Design parent and manufacturer)
19: Medium Mark IIA* Tank (Design parent and manufacturer)
20: A9 Cruiser Mark I Tank (Design parent and secondary manufacturer)
21: A10 Cruiser Mark II Tank (Design parent and additional manufacturer)
22: A10 Cruiser Mark IIA Tank (Design parent and additional manufacturer)
23: A10 Cruiser Mark IIA CS Tank (Design parent and additional manufacturer)
24: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 1 (Additional manufacturer)
25: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 2 (Primary manufacturer 1950-52)
26: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 3 (Secondary manufacturer 1952-55)
27: Panzer 55/60 Tank (Sole manufacturer 1955-56)
28: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 5 (Design parent and manufacturer 1957-58)
29: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 5/2 (Design parent and manufacturer 1957-58)
30: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 7 (Minor manufacturer)
31: Panzer 57 Tank (Sole manufacturer 1957)
32: Panzer 57 (Diesel) Tank (Sole manufacturer 1957)
33: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 8 (Minor manufacturer)
34: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 9 (Minor manufacturer)
35: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 10 (Secondary manufacturer)
36: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 11 (Manufacturer 1959)
37: Stridsvagn 104c Tank (Manufacturer of base Mark 3 for export)
38: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 12 (Minor manufacturer)
39: A41 Centurion Tank - Mark 13 (Secondary manufacturer of base Mark 10)
40: Centurion Crocodile Flame-Throwing Tank (Primary manufacturer of base vehicle)
41: FV4006 Centurion Armoured Recovery Vehicle - Mark II (Design parent and sole manufacturer)
42: FV4018 Centurion Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle - Centurion BARV (Primary manufacturer of base vehicle)
43: FV4201 Chieftain Tank - Prototypes (Turret design parent and vehicle manufacturer)
44: FV4201 Chieftain Tank - Mark 1 (Secondary manufacturer)
45: FV4201 Chieftain Tank - Mark 2 (Secondary manufacturer)
46: FV4201 Chieftain Tank - Unknown Model (Secondary manufacturer)
47: Chieftain AVRE Engineer Vehicle (Sole manufacturer)
48: FV4204 Chieftain Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle - Chieftain ARV (Sole manufacturer)
49: Vickers MBT Mark 4 Valiant Tank (Design parent and sole manufacturer)
50: A1E1 Independent Tank (Manufacturer of sole prototype 1926)
51: A11 Matilda I Tank (Sole manufacturer)
52: Valentine Tank - Mark I (Probable primary manufacturer)
53: Valentine Tank - Mark II (Probable primary manufacturer)
54: Valentine Tank - Mark III (Probable primary manufacturer)
55: Valentine Tank - Mark IV (Probable primary manufacturer)
56: Valentine Tank - Mark V (Probable primary manufacturer)
57: Valentine Tank - Mark VIII (Probable primary manufacturer)
58: Valentine Tank - Mark IX (Probable primary manufacturer)
59: Valentine Tank - Mark X (Probable primary manufacturer)
60: Valentine Tank - Mark XI (Probable primary manufacturer)
61: Valentine Tank - Unidentified Model (Probable primary manufacturer)
62: Valentine Bridgelayer - Valentine Bridgelayer (Primary manufacturer of base vehicle)
63: Archer Tank Destroyer (Design parent and sole manufacturer)
64: FV433 Abbot Self-Propelled Howitzer (Design parent and sole manufacturer)
Long term:
1: FV4203 Centurion AVRE 105 Engineer Vehicle - The Tank Museum - Reserve Collection, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Presumed remainder of conversion to AVRE April 1981)
2: Chieftain Willich AVRE Engineer Vehicle - The Tank Museum - Reserve Collection, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (1971)
3: Valentine Tank - The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Restored to running order)
Short term:
1: Mark VII Tetrarch CS Airborne Light Tank - The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Restored 1984-5)
2: Medium Mark II* Tank - The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Dorset, South West England, Britain (Restored 1984/5)
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In 1847, engineer William George Armstrong founded the Elswick Works at Newcastle. It originally built hydraulic machinery but soon branched out into manufacturing bridges (including the opening machinery for Tower Bridge in London) and then into armaments, notably the Armstrong breech-loading gun, which re-equipped the British Army after the Crimean War.
In 1882 it merged with the shipbuilding firm of Charles Mitchell to form Sir WG Armstrong Mitchell & Company. In 1884 a shipyard was opened at the Elswick site which had the facilities to build and equip a warship from start to finish. HMS Victoria was the first battleship to be built at Armstrong’s Elswick shipyard and was launched in April 1887. Armstrong’s became the most successful exporter of warships in the world and by 1895 was the largest employer in Newcastle with an 11,000 strong workforce. At the time its works extended for over a mile along the bank of the River Tyne. The workers all lived locally, some in housing provided by Armstrong. He also provided schools and leisure facilities for his employees.
Armstrong Mitchell merged again with the engineering firm of Joseph Whitworth in 1897. In 1899 Armstrong built another armaments works nearby at Scotswood. The company expanded into the manufacture of cars and trucks in 1902, and created an “aerial department” in 1913, which became the Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft subsidiary in 1920. During the First World War the company manufactured tanks, shells and guns. After the War Armstrong Whitworth converted the Scotswood Works to build locomotives, and from 1919 it rapidly penetrated the locomotive market due to its modern plant. In 1927 Armstrong Whitworth merged with Vickers Limited to form Vickers-Armstrongs Limited, at which point its automotive interests and Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft were purchased and spun off by J.D. Siddeley as Armstrong Siddeley. At this point Vickers-Armstrongs possessed a major shipyard on each coast of Britain; the Naval Construction Yard of Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and the Naval Yard of Armstrong Whitworth at High Walker on the River Tyne. Vickers-Armstrongs was one of the most important warship manufacturers in the world.
Vickers-Armstrongs was instrumental in the rearming of Britain leading up the Second World War. The company was known for its tank designs, starting with the widely used Vickers 6-Ton. It also produced the influential Independent A1E1 tank. One of the company's most important designs was the Valentine Infantry Tank, produced in the thousands in World War II. During this time employment rose to 18,500 across the two sites.
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