Wolverhampton Cycle Industry
Bicycles as we know them first came onto the scene in the 1860s. Velocipedes were heavy clumsy machines with wrought-iron frames and iron-rimmed wooden wheels and were commonly referred to as 'boneshakers', presumably descriptive of the comfort of the ride.
Frederick Forder, a coachbuilder with premises in Cleveland St., is known to have built boneshakers during the late 1860s.
In 1868 Henry Clarke, a wheelwright and blacksmith, began manufacturing bicycles at the Cogent Works in Darlington St.
From 1870 improvements were being made in cycle design. The front wheel began to increase in size, which had the effect of increasing gearing and led to a faster and easier to pedal machine. In 1872 Cogent High Wheelers (Penny Farthings) appeared and were made in considerable numbers.
Edward Lisle was also producing cycles by 1868. He was the son of a railway worker and developed an interest in cycles at an early age when he built his own velocipede and entered races. Not only did he manufacture velocipedes, but also tricyles, some specivically designed for ladies, with padded seat and treadles and levers driving the rear wheels. The front wheel drive tricycle shown below was produced by Lisle during 1869.
In 1876 Lisle went into partnership with Edwin Sharratt. Even though the partnership lasted only 3 years, 'Sharratt and Lisle' machines continued to be advertised until 1896.
Dan Rudge began selling High Wheelers in 1870. He was a mechanic and rider and made a number of improvements to cycles. He was also the landlord of the Tiger's Head Inn, Church St., and knew Henry Clarke. The 'Rudge' cycle became very popular and the racing models were the best available. He died in the Tiger's Head in 1880 and although his widow continued to run the business for a while, it was soon to be taken over by George Woodcock, who shifted the business to Coventry.
Another cycle maker of the time was Joseph Devey who made the Express cycle, with specifications including lock-nutted spokes, forged hubs and leather covered saddle.
The first 'safety' cycle was built by H.J.Lawson in 1879 and they became popular in the mid-1880s. With steel replacing iron for the frames and solid rubber tyres, cycles were by now lighter and more practical than the early boneshakers. Later improvements in cycle design were the development of pneumatic tyres (by Dunlop in 1888), the diamond frame (by Humber, who were to take over Joseph Devey, in 1890) and variable gears (by Sturmey in 1902).
Wolverhampton had many cycle manufacturers in the 1880s-1890s and was one of the country's leading cycle manufacturing areas, with Coventry and Birmingham leading the way.
The list opposite is taken from the Wolverhampton Red Book & Directory of 1892.
Leading brands from Wolverhampton included the Sunbeam, manufactured by John Marston, some models of which featured the forerunner to Sunbeam's oil tight chain case.The Star brand manufactured by Lisle continued to produce large numbers of cycles (up to 10000 per annum by 1899).
Examples of several other manufacturers are also shown below.
Henry Clarke died during 1890 and the Cogent Works soon went into liquidation. One of his sons, Tom, went to Manchester where he started the Express Cycle Company, whilst his other sons started Wearwell (in Darlington St.), which soon became one of Wolverhampton's leading producers.
The Rudge name would also continue to be involved in the cycle industry. Early in the new century, Harry Rudge, Daniel's eldest son, joined C. Wedge to form Rudge Wedge in Mander St.
This is only the briefest of outlines of the Wolverhampton Cycle Industry over the second half of the 19th Century - thanks must go to Jim Boulton, whose scrapbook entitled 'Wolverhampton Cycles and Cycling' formed the basis of these notes.
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