History of Nuffield Place

Oil painting on canvas by John Wheatley of William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield in a brown suit reading a book, 1949/50 — Oil painting of Lord Nuffield by John Wheatley, 1949/50 | © National Trust Images

Lord Nuffield built the Morris Motor Company from the ground up. He became an incredibly successful and celebrated man, remaining humble and philanthropic throughout his life. Nuffield Place was his home for the last 30 years of his life – discover his fascinating story.

A young entrepreneur

William Morris was born in October 1877 in Worcester and moved to Oxford with his family at the age of three. At the age of 14 William left school and became an apprentice at an Oxford bicycle shop to help support his family.

After a year, William asked for a pay rise, which was denied, so he promptly set up his own business, a bicycle repair company, with just £4 capital. Morris’s boundless nervous energy and keen business sense saw him make rapid success, and formed the basis for his continued fortunes.

From bicycle to car

The bicycle repair business was a success, and in 1901 he acquired a shop on Oxford's high street. He began manufacturing motorcycles in 1903 and before long Morris had set up a garage on Longwall Street, where he started hiring, selling and repairing cars.

A blue Morris Minor car parked outside the front of Nuffield Place — Morris Minor parked outside Nuffield Place | © National Trust Images/Alex Prain

The Morris Motor Company

A practical man with a passion for engineering, Morris was fascinated by how things were made, and it was a natural move from repairing, hiring and selling cars to manufacturing them. In August 1912 he registered a new company, WRM Motors Ltd, for the manufacturing of motor cars and the first Morris car, the Bullnose, was created the following year.

A celebrated man

The contributions made throughout his life by William Morris, later Lord Nuffield, in the fields of motoring, education and health did not go unnoticed, and he was awarded the following titles:

1917: OBE
1929: Baronet, becoming Sir William Morris
1930: Baron becoming Lord Nuffield
1934: Viscount
1941: GBE
1948: Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons
1958: Companion of Honour

Nuffield the philanthropist

At the height of Lord Nuffield's career, he was reputedly earning £2,000 a day. However, he was never extravagant with his money. Questioned about his riches, he replied: ‘Well, you can only wear one suit at a time.’ Naturally frugal, Lord Nuffield gave away much of his vast fortune. In total he donated £30 million to good causes, the equivalent of £700 million in today's money.

Nuffield Place: a modest home

Nuffield Place was Lord Nuffield’s home from 1933 until his death in 1963. Originally named Merrow Mount, the house was designed by Oswald Partridge Milne in 1914 for Sir John Bowring Wimble, a shipping tycoon. When Sir John Wimble died, his widow sold the house to William Morris. Having just been raised to peerage, Morris took his title from the local village and renamed the house Nuffield Place.

Lady Nuffield's Wolseley car inside a brown-painted garage at Nuffield Place, Oxfordshire — Lady Nuffield's Wolseley car at Nuffield Place, Oxfordshire | © National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole

Lady Nuffield's Wolseley Eight

While living at Nuffield Place Lord Nuffield bought a Wolseley Eight for Lady Nuffield’s birthday in 1939. Her diaries tell us she used the car often, regularly driving into Wallingford, picking up cakes on a Friday, and visiting her sisters for afternoon tea. It was a treasured family car, and Lord Nuffield continued to drive it after his wife’s death in 1959, until his frailness meant he needed a chauffeur.

Caring for the Wolseley

Lady Nuffield’s Wolseley Eight is the only road-worthy historic car in the entirety of the National Trust collections. A small team of experienced volunteers care for the car but unlike privately owned vehicles, it hasn’t been restored to its former glory – it is maintained as it was when Lord and Lady Nuffield used the car.

An important collection item

Lord and Lady Nuffield used the car on a nearly daily basis and at the time it was considered a fairly cheap model of car to buy. This makes the very modest car a special part of Nuffield Place’s history, as it tells of the couple’s frugality, as well as revealing how they lived.