Bicycles and Cycling

 

Old Herts

Subject Index 

Cycling

Ladies cycling down Bushey High Street
in about 1904

At the HALH Symposium on Sport in Hertfordshire, held in November 2012, John Pearson gave an enthralling talk on "Cycling in the Edwardian Period" illustrated with a large number of pictures of bicycles and their riders. These helped to explain the way that the coming of the bicycle encouraged people to come out into the countryside around London, especially Hertfordshire, in the period prior to the First World War.

Old Manor House, Little Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire - Little Berkhampstead

Evidence of this can often be found in early post cards such as this one of the Old Manor Farm House at Little Berkhampstead. All the cyclists touring the countryside would require refreshments - and sometimes overnight accommodation - and signs welcoming cyclists started to appear in the towns and villages of Hertfordshire. At the time there were few cars - but after the war the amount of motorised traffic increased and the signs were replaced by signs welcoming cars.

Hitchin-handbook-1899-advert-chalkley
John T. Chalkley, Brand Street, Hitchin
Advert for a Humber bicycle made for two from Handbook to Hitchin & the Neighbourhood, 1899

 

River Gade, Water End, Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire

A sketch of the Rive Gade at Water End, Great Gaddesden, by the cycling artist, Frank Patterson.

Some Public Houses, etc advertising services for cyclists
click on thumbnail picture

The Plough
Colliers End

The Red, White and Blue
Colliers End

Old Manor House

Little Berkhampstead

Saracen's Head

Redbourn

The Salisbury Crest

Essendon

The Cyclists' Rest

Essendon

Pages mentioning cyclists

The Fox Inn, Albury End,

Rose & Crown, Hitchin,

Much Hadham, Early 20th Century

 

Other References on this Site

  The River Gade, Water End, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead - drawing by Frank Patterson

Frank Patterson (1871-1952) was a cycling artist who regularly had his sketches printed first in Cycling, starting in the 1890s  and later in Cyclists Touring Club Gazette from 1925.He is said to have produced about 26,000 drawings, including the one of the River Gade at Water End on the right.

 

Kinghams Cycle Shop, Western Road, Tring

 
 
     

If you can add to the information given above tell me.Page created in August 2006