I have never really been a big fan of cars and, other than a passing interest, I generally just walk past this monument to the Newlands Works in Farsley, writes Mark Stevenson.
On this occasion, I found myself half-reading the plaque and wondering to myself what the DB stood for on the Aston Martin cars.
![](https://westleedsdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Farsley-Aston-Martin.jpg)
It made me read the plaque properly and – lo and behold – the answer was right there in front of my eyes!
David Brown (DB) bought Aston Martin in 1947 and the initials are taken from his name.Â
![](https://westleedsdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Farsley-Aston-Martin-001.jpg)
What got my interest the most though was that it reads ‘wartime shadow factory’, which sounds like the bad guy’s lair in a Bond film (you can’t mention Aston Martin and not mention Bond).
![](https://westleedsdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Farsley-Aston-Martin-002.jpg)
In 1935 a plan was set up for factories to meet the urgent need for more aircraft using technology transferred from the motor industry by the Government in the build-up to World War II.
Disappointingly the use of the word ‘shadow’ had nothing to do with Bond villains and was just a turn of phrase for the protected status of these factories.Â