From the Archive: How Lord Nuffield Helped Holywell Survive the War

This year is the 50th anniversary of the death of William Morris, founder of Oxford based Morris Motors. Lord Nuffield as he later became, was the most famous industrialist of his age, and a generous philanthropist who donated much of his personal fortune to charitable causes; a lesser known fact perhaps, is that he is also someone to whom Holywell will always owe a debt of gratitude…

A contemporary of Harry Burrows, founder of the Holywell Press, Morris engaged Holywell to produce much of the advertising material promoting the early Morris cars. As a result of their business dealings, the two men became great personal friends, and during the second World War, this friendship, and the direct intervention of Morris played a key role in the story of Holywell; in fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that if it were not for William Morris, it’s possible Holywell would not be here today.

In 1942, at the height of the war, the Board of Trade wrote to Harry Burrows notifying him of their intention to requisition the Holywell factory in Alfred Street, Oxford, where our printing presses were located in those days. The letter, received in May of that year, stated simply, “I regret it will be necessary to take over the premises occupied by you for work of national importance.” We can’t be sure for what purpose exactly the Board wanted to requisition our factory, but it was well known that Hitler did not want to bomb the city - some sources even said that he was intending to use Oxford as his capital if he conquered England - and so for this reason, factory space in the city would have been much sought after by the War Office.

But in fact, Holywell was already doing its bit for the war effort – including working for no less than 33 units of the services, as well as for William Morris who was himself putting many of his resources at the disposal of his country. Harry asked his friend to step in and make this point to the Board which he duly did, explaining in a face-to-face meeting and in subsequent correspondence, the importance of the contribution Holywell was already making to the war. As a result of Morris’s appeal, the Board withdrew its requisition notice saying, “it appears that as the Holywell Press is doing a considerable amount of work for so many of your interests which are engaged on essential war work, it would be advisable to arrange for the Holywell Press to continue in operation.”

And so, thanks to Lord Nuffield, we lived to fight another day – and another 71 years!

The communications between Morris, Harry Burrows and the Board of Trade are in the Holywell archives, and we recently made them available to the National Trust - guardians of Nuffield Place, Lord Nuffield’s Oxfordshire home. Located between Henley on Thames and Wallingford, the house ̶ which the National Trust calls ‘The home of one of the most remarkable men of the 20th century’ - is open to visitors and well worth seeing.  For information on Nuffield Place, please click here!

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Giving Wings to a New Brand

Our design studio is an integral part of our business, providing a highly creative resource for many of our clients. While much of the work we undertake involves designing specifically for print, we are also experienced in developing brand identities, as demonstrated by a project we’ve been working on recently for our customer, Volare Aviation.

Volare is a new company, a corporate aviation sales and brokerage organisation with global business activities. Briefing us to create a brand identity for them, Volare asked us to design a logo that would capture the essence of what the business does, clearly referencing its links with the aviation sector, while reflecting core brand attributes encapsulated in words such as, ‘established’, ‘exclusive’, ‘prestigious’, ‘professional’ and ‘global’.  In addition to all of these considerations, our customer also wanted their new logo design to have a ‘retro’ look to it.

Our designers set about creating initial concepts which took all these elements into account, and the visual theme of ‘wings’ quickly emerged as a strong directional route. With feedback on these first stage design treatments, we were able to refine the preferred option and prepare a final concept.

The finished logo is simple and bold; the stylised wing motif makes a nostalgic reference to an earlier age – evoking the glamour and romance of a time when air travel was a luxury enjoyed by a privileged few. The use of only two colours has the effect of giving the design an understated, classic feel; it also makes it very easy (and cost-effective) to replicate across all online and offline sales and marketing materials.

With the identity signed off by Volare, we progressed to printing business cards, and the end result is striking, with the logo printed white out of blue on one side and black and grey on white on the reverse.

We wish Volare Aviation all the best with their new business, and we’re looking forward to working with them further in the future. For more information on Volare Aviation go to www.volareaviation.co.uk.

Do you need to create a brand identity for a new business? Is your existing identity in need of a refresh? Our design studio at Holywell is brimming with creativity, so talk to us about how we can give your brand wings!

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Holywell Helps Opendoors Unlock Hidden Oxford

Every year, around 9.5 million visitors from all over the world come to Oxford. They come to see the ancient colleges and iconic buildings, to enjoy the museums and theatres, and to immerse themselves in the culture of this unique city. For those of us who are lucky enough to live or work here, it’s easy to take the city for granted, and feel that we know it almost as well as the tour guides who, umbrellas held aloft, chaperone their groups through the busy streets.

But while there is plenty to keep the tourists busy – and a photo opportunity around every corner, some of the most interesting aspects of Oxford are out of bounds to the general public – except that is for two days each year when Oxford Preservation Trust holds the Opendoors weekend. Now in its 6th year, Opendoors aims to give people – especially locals, the opportunity to discover more about their world famous city.  The event was established by Oxford Preservation Trust, an organisation committed to preserving and enhancing the City's historic character. From small beginnings, the event is getting bigger each year, now encompassing some 180 venues and events, and attracting over 60,000 visitors.

This year, Opendoors will be held over the weekend of 14th – 15th September, and it’s a great way to discover a side of the city you would never normally see.  There are dozens of events and venues to select from, and access is free – though you will need to book for some of them. This is your chance to (among other things) go behind the scenes at the Ashmolean Museum and see works of art not normally displayed; to visit the original cells in the old city prison; look around parts of the colleges that are usually out of bounds; take guided tours with experts ̶ and generally have exclusive access to some of the hidden gems of Oxford.

Holywell has been closely involved with the Opendoors project since it first started, producing the free guide which highlights all the venues and events. In line with the success and scale of Opendoors, the guide has gradually evolved from a simple leaflet into a full colour, 40 page booklet that has a print run of 50,000. We’ve worked with the Trust  ̶  a non profit making organisation - to help them keep production costs to a minimum, and the current guide format (185mm x 140mm) is optimised for cost-effectiveness. It’s the same pocket-friendly size as another guide we produce for our customer Artweeks. The format is ideal for visitors to carry with them and use for reference as they enjoy the weekend – and it means we’re able to print it in 32 page sections, providing the most economic solution.

You might think you already know the city well, but don’t miss your opportunity to discover another side to Oxford; go to, www.oxfordopendoors.org.uk for more information on Opendoors ̶  and if you want to produce high quality materials to support your own event, make sure you talk to us first!

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