Where does the story begin? In what year?

The novel opens in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. The year is a.f. 632 (632 years “after Ford”). The obvious reference here is to the idolization of production and consumption of which Henry Ford's life and company is an excellent symbol.

The story begins in England

2540 a.d. referred to in the novel as 632 years “After Ford,” meaning 632 years after the production of the first Model T car.