Long before Coventry became synonymous with Jaguar, before Le Mans victories and E-Types stunned the world, the story of the marque began in an unlikely place: Blackpool.
Today known primarily as a seaside resort on England’s northwest coast, Blackpool was the birthplace of what would become one of the most iconic automotive brands in history. It was here, in 1922, that a young William Lyons took the first steps toward creating Jaguar. Without Blackpool, there would be no Jaguar.
1922: The Swallow Sidecar Company
Jaguar’s origins trace back to The Swallow Sidecar Company, founded in Blackpool in 1922 by William Lyons, aged just 21 and William Walmsley, a motorcycle enthusiast and sidecar builder. The business began modestly, producing stylish motorcycle sidecars. Even at this early stage, two characteristics that would define Jaguar were already present – a strong emphasis on visual appeal and competitive pricing combined with premium aesthetics. Lyons understood instinctively that design mattered. Swallow sidecars were not merely functional – they were elegant and distinctive. That design-led philosophy was born in Blackpool workshops.
From Sidecars to Car Bodies
By the mid-1920s, Lyons saw greater opportunity in motorcars. Swallow began producing stylish coachbuilt bodies for the popular Austin Seven chassis. These early Swallow-bodied cars stood out because they looked far more expensive than they were, featured sleek lines and attractive proportions and delivered aspirational style at attainable prices. The seeds of Jaguar’s later reputation for combining beauty and value were planted right there in Blackpool.
The Move to Coventry — But the Foundation Was Laid
In 1928, the company relocated to Coventry, the centre of Britain’s motor industry, to expand production. But by that point the business model was established, the design ethos was formed and William Lyons’ vision was clear. Blackpool had given the company its start – and given Lyons the confidence to think bigger.
Coventry would provide industrial scale.
Blackpool had provided the spark.
The Birth of a Philosophy
Even before the Jaguar name existed, key principles had already emerged in Blackpool:
1. Design-Led Thinking
Lyons was not a trained engineer in the traditional sense. He was a stylist and a businessman with an extraordinary eye for proportion. That instinct developed during the Swallow years.
2. Accessible Elegance
From the earliest Swallow products, the aim was to deliver something that looked premium without being priced beyond reach.
3. Branding Awareness
Even the name “Swallow” carried a sense of grace and movement – themes that would later be embodied in the name “Jaguar.”
Blackpool was where Lyons first experimented with identity.
William Lyons: A Blackpool Beginning
Lyons himself was born in Blackpool in 1901. The town shaped his early life and entrepreneurial mindset. In many ways, Jaguar’s global story begins with a young Blackpool businessman deciding that style and ambition could coexist with commercial practicality. From modest seaside premises, Lyons would go on to create the Jaguar name (in 1935), launch the XK120 (in 1948), oversee Le Mans victories, introduce the E-Type (in 1961) and establish “Grace, Space, Pace” as a defining philosophy. All those achievements trace back to Blackpool roots.
Symbolic Importance Today
While Jaguar’s manufacturing identity is tied to Coventry, Castle Bromwich, and Solihull, Blackpool remains historically significant as the birthplace of the company, the origin of the Swallow Sidecar Company and the starting point of Sir William Lyons’ career. For enthusiasts, Blackpool represents the beginning – the moment before global fame, when Jaguar was just an idea in a small workshop.
A Seaside Town’s Unexpected Legacy
It is remarkable that one of the world’s most admired automotive marques began not in an industrial powerhouse city, but in a coastal resort town. Blackpool gave Jaguar its first workshop, its first products, its founder’s formative environment and its initial design philosophy. It is a reminder that great brands often begin not with grand factories, but with vision and ambition.
Blackpool may not be the city most commonly associated with Jaguar today, but it is where the story truly begins. Before Le Mans victories, before the E-Type, before the XJ saloon and modern F-Type – there were sidecars in a small Blackpool workshop and a young William Lyons with a sharp eye for style. Blackpool represents Jaguar’s origin point – the place where craftsmanship, design instinct, and entrepreneurial spirit first combined.
And without that seaside beginning, the world might never have known the name Jaguar.