The museum is working with Cross Manufacturing on a project to find a solution for the company’s archiving needs. This will involve digitising the 1000+ historic engineering drawings that are currently held in Cross’ archives. Dating back to the company’s beginning in the 1930s, some of the drawings are now in a fragile condition, and so this project will help to preserve the company’s history that would otherwise be at risk of being lost. The photographing and cataloguing of each drawing will make them accessible and reveal more about the work of engineers local to Bath.
The pictures show Roland Cross overseeing the slow running of a motorcycle fitted with a Cross rotary valve engine and standing, with his driver, over a motorcar similarly fitted with a rotary valve engine. The motorcycle picture is thought to be from “The Motorcar magazine” circa 1938. The Cross engine won lots of great press, engineers and experts loved it but the company were unsuccessful in marketing it.
Many of the documents date from the 1930s by Roland Cross the company’s founder and his team, which were responsible for the development of a rotary valve internal combustion engine for motorcycles and motorcars. Many of the drawings concern these developments.
David Mulford
Research Volunteer