How classic vehicles centre is preserving the past for tomorrow

In the latest edition of Marketing Derby’s Innovate Magazine, we meet Shaun Matthews, the driving force behind Great Northern Classics.

Established at a historic former ironworks in Osmaston Road, it is a destination attraction with a host of services and events for classic vehicle enthusiasts and general visitors alike.

Based in a former Rolls-Royce building, its aim is to preserve and propagate crucial skills for the classic vehicle industry.

In his interview with Innovate, Shaun reveals that the idea for the concept came to him when a blizzard grounded his flight at Detroit Airport.

Killing time in a coffee shop, as he tried to make his way back to the UK from a business trip in Costa Rica, he began to ponder what could be done to safeguard traditional skills he feared were being lost in the engineering sector and ensure they were passed on to future generations.

He came up with the idea of a place where he could bring together experienced crafts people, where they could continue to work, to run their own businesses, and, at the same time, pass on their years of knowledge to a group of young trainees.

Fifteen years or so later and Great Northern Classics opened its doors – a £3 million development, which brings together the combined talents of a group of automotive businesses in a centre of excellence for the restoration and storage of classic vehicles – and with its own training school.

However, the road to creating Great Northern Classics was by no means smooth – and took many twists and turns.

The group of like-minded enthusiasts Shaun had assembled prospected a number of potential sites for the venture, including Friar Gate Goods Yard and the old Aida Bliss factory in Chester Green, before settling on the former Victoria Ironworks, in Osmaston Road, which had, in recent years, been home to the Rolls-Royce Heritage Collection.

Shaun is grateful to those who recognised the merits of the vision and have provided support thus far.

He told Innovate: “We got a little bit of seed money behind us from the Architectural Heritage Fund and a bit from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which was enough to work up the business case and we were able to sell the concept.

“We received tremendous support from the elected representatives, particularly Martin Repton. We owe him a debt of thanks. He really got what we were trying to do and made the right introductions to the right people. And the council’s planning and finance teams have been brilliant.”

While Shaun would accept there is still much to do to ensure Great Northern Classics fulfils his original goals for the project, he’s already thinking about what could happen next.

He told Innovate: “I would like to see another one somewhere else, because Derby is not the only place with good engineers and kids in need of opportunity.”

To read the feature in full visit Online Flipbook (heyzine.com).