Engineering works to be rejuvenated

Multi-million pound investment is set to rejuvenate a famous precision engineering works in Shrewsbury, which closed its doors in April.

The Sentinel Works in Whitchurch Road is being renamed the Sentinel Trade Park by Shrewsbury-based Paterson Enterprises, parent company of Morris Lubricants and Morris Leisure, which owns the 8.5-acre site.

Edward Goddard, a director of Paterson Enterprises, revealed that Morris Lubricants will be relocating its distribution function away from the company’s Castle Foregate manufacturing facility to the park as part of a £1.5 million investment.

The rest of the site will be repurposed and let to a range of businesses, creating jobs and more investment in Shropshire’s county town.

“I am delighted to report that we have received interest from a number of well-established businesses who are looking for space on Sentinel Trade Park,” said Edward. “It will be good to see the site repurposed quite quickly.

“Apart from allowing our own business to expand, we are looking forward to welcoming a range of tenants to the park. We anticipate that the park will be fully occupied within a fairly short period of time, which is great news for the town.

“Rejuvenating the whole site will involve multi-million pound investment by Paterson Enterprises and will bring new jobs to Shrewsbury with incoming tenant businesses.”

Sentinel Trade Park is being let by James Evans, head of Halls Commercial in Shrewsbury who reported great interest from businesses in the site.

“There has been significant interest from prospective tenants in this prestigious site,” said James. “Sentinel Trade Park provides tenants with an opportunity to secure accommodation that can be used for a variety of commercial purposes, with a degree of roadside frontage.”

The Sentinel Works, a precision engineering centre since 1915, ended production on April 30 when tenants Radius Aerospace UK Ltd closed its Shrewsbury operation.

Edward said at the time that while the closure of Radius Aerospace in Shrewsbury was sad news and the end of an era, it was also the beginning of “an exciting new chapter” for the Sentinel Works.

The works originally made steam-powered Sentinel lorries before evolving to railway locomotives and later diesel-engined lorries, buses and locomotives. Rolls Royce took over the business in 1956 and made diesel engines in Shrewsbury until 1983.  Subsequent owners of the business were Perkins, Vickers, Doncasters and Radius.