New College has withdrawn a proposal to install a commemorative sculpture at the Oxford site where the first MG motor cars were designed and manufactured.
The planned work was commissioned by the college’s warden and fellows to mark the centenary in 2024 of the design and production of the first MG.
Paul Day, described as an eminent artist, was selected to create the piece.
Its intended location was the Morris Garage quadrangle at New College.
Cecil Kimber designed and built the first MG motors there, with the name MG derived from Morris Garage.
MG departed the Longwall garage for Abingdon in 1930, and the former premises, which became part of New College, have served as student accommodation since the 1980s.
A planning submission stated that the sculpture would take the form of a bronze figure marginally exceeding life size.
The figure was to depict Cecil Kimber wearing goggles and lifting the bonnet of an MG car.
Within the vehicle, an accelerated-perspective scene would show MG motors racing during the 1920s.
The front of the work was designed to look towards the interior of the college, while the rear, visible when leaving the Morris Garage building, was also intended to provide visual interest.
The planning submission said the sculpture would offer an industrial connection to visitors entering the quadrangle and give the space greater emphasis and a stronger sense of place.
Although the Morris Garage was noted for its external prominence, the planning statement said there was no internal reference to the site’s industrial heritage within New College.
The octagonal MG logo was to feature on the sculpture’s rear.
The planning document also explained that the Morris Garage had functioned as both a car manufacturing facility and a showroom.
It added that William Morris employed Kimber in 1921, initially in sales and later as general manager.
The first MGs were produced from 1923 by adapting standard bull-nose cars with specially made bodies, while the familiar octagonal MG marque emerged in 1924.
Oxford City Council’s director of planning subsequently issued a decision notice confirming that the application had been treated as withdrawn, following earlier communication with those involved.
The proposed sculpture and its installation at New College consequently did not proceed.