Records of Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company (Great Britain) Ltd

Access may be restricted to document under 30 yrs old

The records contained in this list had been brought together in a small storeroom at the company's 1960s office building in Wolverhampton and were collected by archives staff. Some of the records were boxed but most had been piled loose on shelves in no particular order. Many had been brought together from various locations throughout the country in a deliberate attempt to establish a company archives and the contents reflect this. Some items sent in by employees and branches retain their covering letters providing additional information about them. The store also contained a small collection of artifacts of various kinds and these have been taken in with the archive in order to ensure their safe keeping.

As no archival arrangement was apparent the records have been divided into convenient groups.

The Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company was founded in Akron, Ohio, USA in 1898. In 1913 a branch office was opened in London and American made tyres were imported through Chelsea Wharf. Protectionist tariffs after the First World War made importation unprofitable and a site for a British factory was selected in Wolverhampton at the disused works of enamellers, Macfarlane and Robinson. At the time this site was at the edge of the urban area and offered the opportunity for expansion over the years. A Scottish plant was opened at Garscadden near Glasgow in 1957 and a general products factory at Craigavon, Northern Ireland in 1968. The company also owns many branches and depots all over Britain. The Wolverhampton plant and headquarters has been one of the largest employers in the town and has also served as a focus of social and sporting activities for employees and their families.