Lord Mayor marks Charles Rolls centenary
29 October 2010
The Lord Mayor of Manchester will mark the centenary of Charles Rolls by addressing an audience of assembled guests at MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester) on Monday 1 November 2010.
Charles Rolls was famously introduced to Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in 1904, marking the beginning of a very successful and lucrative business partnership.
Now to mark 100 years of the honourable Charles Rolls' death, the city will host a series of events that take place at The Midland Hotel and MOSI, where an original Rolls-Royce car will be on display.
In the entrance of the Midland Hotel, a 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost car will be on display (from Sunday 31 October until Monday 1 November) and in the foyer there will also be a replica of the Spirit of Ecstasy as well as a series of photographs of the men behind the legendary vehicles.
A procession of Rolls-Royce cars will also drive through the city in honour of the occasion.
The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Mark Hackett said: "The partnership between Rolls and Royce is a great source of pride for the city as yet another first for Manchester. This is where this remarkable union of business and engineering took place. This year not only marks 100 years since the death of Charles Rolls but also of his fantastic feat which saw him embark on the first non stop flight across the English Channel and back. He was a pioneer, the like of which will never be seen again. This is why we are so proud to commemorate his centenary. "
In his address, the Lord Mayor will talk about the importance of Rolls and Royce to the city and the world of engineering, consolidating Manchester's science pedigree which includes the likes of Nobel prize winners Ernest Rutherford, Alan Turing and very recently, Dr Andrei Geim and Dr Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester.
Nick Forder, Curator (Air and Space) at MOSI said: "Charlie Rolls was an engineer and entrepreneur, a man who gave his occupation as 'gentleman' yet would conduct business in the drawing room. He came to Manchester in 1904 seeking a quality car that he would be confident to sell under his own name and help fund his passions of ballooning, motoring and flying. In Henry Royce he found a brilliant mechanic who was only interested in the best. The rest is history."
