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Swift Cheylesmore made in Birmingham. But where?
- Thread starter Viscount
- Start date
M
malvern
Guest
The Swift Cycle Company
15 Cheylesmore
Quinton Works, Coventry 1
Formed by Joseph Turner with the Coventry Sewing Machine Company.
First cycle in 1865 which makes them one of the UK's oldest cycle manufacturers. (a year before Humber)
Swifts introduced a motor tricycle in in 1898 and their first motor cycle.
They produced motorcycles until 1914
They also produced cars under the name Swift Motor Company.
They also produced a cycle car.
-------------------------------------
When considering cycle manufactures it should be considered that many were 'badge engineered' in later years. Hercules for instance even once manufactured a range of BSA cycles.
15 Cheylesmore
Quinton Works, Coventry 1
Formed by Joseph Turner with the Coventry Sewing Machine Company.
First cycle in 1865 which makes them one of the UK's oldest cycle manufacturers. (a year before Humber)
Swifts introduced a motor tricycle in in 1898 and their first motor cycle.
They produced motorcycles until 1914
They also produced cars under the name Swift Motor Company.
They also produced a cycle car.
-------------------------------------
When considering cycle manufactures it should be considered that many were 'badge engineered' in later years. Hercules for instance even once manufactured a range of BSA cycles.
OnYourBike
New Member
Hi
Stuart from On Your Bike here. I am currently researching the history of the site we now occupy and wondered if anyone can give me any information and/or photos of their time at K and M?
Thanks
Stuart from On Your Bike here. I am currently researching the history of the site we now occupy and wondered if anyone can give me any information and/or photos of their time at K and M?
Thanks
OnYourBike
New Member
Wow - thanks for the response! I really wasn't expecting much given that the thread is around 6 years old! Do the pictures belong to you?
Thanks
Stuart
Thanks
Stuart
6 years old??
Well, I'm the original poster and although my Swift bike is long gone, it's still an interesting subject for cycle historians, & the chaps that worked in these places all those years ago. Royal Enfield is still a known & revered name, although it did originate in Redditch rather than Birmingham. Birmingham (& Kirmer) did extend its life though: )
Social history can be recorded for posterity online, as on this site, & I reckon it is a 'social duty' (almost: ) to record it. We got enough 'history' of Kings, Queens & the ruling elite. The ordinary people did the work, & created the wealth, so lets record that history as well??
That's the real stuff. Ain't it??
That's my 'thought for the day' anyway; )
John.
Well, I'm the original poster and although my Swift bike is long gone, it's still an interesting subject for cycle historians, & the chaps that worked in these places all those years ago. Royal Enfield is still a known & revered name, although it did originate in Redditch rather than Birmingham. Birmingham (& Kirmer) did extend its life though: )
Social history can be recorded for posterity online, as on this site, & I reckon it is a 'social duty' (almost: ) to record it. We got enough 'history' of Kings, Queens & the ruling elite. The ordinary people did the work, & created the wealth, so lets record that history as well??
That's the real stuff. Ain't it??
That's my 'thought for the day' anyway; )
John.
OnYourBike
New Member
Thanks John,
I currently manage the On Your Bike shop and am aware that we are sat on a little piece of history here. I have been doing some digging and have a few vague ideas about building a bit of a story that we could feature through the shop and our website/facebook etc. Would there be any objections to reproducing any of the images? It's difficult to know where they are sourced from sometimes in order to credit the right people who own copyright etc?
Thanks
Stuart
I currently manage the On Your Bike shop and am aware that we are sat on a little piece of history here. I have been doing some digging and have a few vague ideas about building a bit of a story that we could feature through the shop and our website/facebook etc. Would there be any objections to reproducing any of the images? It's difficult to know where they are sourced from sometimes in order to credit the right people who own copyright etc?
Thanks
Stuart
Stuart
The aerial view is from Bing maps, but the two black & white photos are ones I took around 1970. As I noted , I cannot be too sure exactly when, as my notes were destroyed, but luckily not the negatives. Again, as i state in the text, when I posted I reduced the size of the file, and the original possibly has slightly more detail. If you send me your e-mail address by private message, I can send you the original scans from the negatives. You are very welcome to use them, though would appreciate an acknowledgement
Mike
The aerial view is from Bing maps, but the two black & white photos are ones I took around 1970. As I noted , I cannot be too sure exactly when, as my notes were destroyed, but luckily not the negatives. Again, as i state in the text, when I posted I reduced the size of the file, and the original possibly has slightly more detail. If you send me your e-mail address by private message, I can send you the original scans from the negatives. You are very welcome to use them, though would appreciate an acknowledgement
Mike
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Just a little snippet from the London Gazette:-
Swift Cycle Co was amongst one of the companies awarded the Diploma of Honour at the Milan International Exhibition 1906
https://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28030/pages/4086
Maurice
Swift Cycle Co was amongst one of the companies awarded the Diploma of Honour at the Milan International Exhibition 1906
https://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28030/pages/4086
Maurice
maypolebaz
master brummie
While out for a meal yesterday, I noticed a photo, taken around 1910, of a Sandbach cycle shop.
With this thread in mind, I noticed that Swift had its name among the adverts on the shop wall. Other firms were Royal Enfield (of course !), Singer and Premier.
Warwick tyres and Rothwell wheels were also up there.
Apart from a few bikes, a couple of state-of-the-art motorbikes were on show, with a couple of likely lads posing around them.
Nothing changes !
With this thread in mind, I noticed that Swift had its name among the adverts on the shop wall. Other firms were Royal Enfield (of course !), Singer and Premier.
Warwick tyres and Rothwell wheels were also up there.
Apart from a few bikes, a couple of state-of-the-art motorbikes were on show, with a couple of likely lads posing around them.
Nothing changes !
Very nice to see the responses above.
In Birmingham bicycle production was considerable for decades, and all the details are worth recording, I say.
We just need to understand it, and all these small 'snippets' help build a picture.
I'm very happy for any of my pictures to be used anywhere. Online or wherever.
If you want better definition pics of any of mine just PM me.
Turning out to be an excellent, if long lasting, thread it seems.
Happily?; )
John.
In Birmingham bicycle production was considerable for decades, and all the details are worth recording, I say.
We just need to understand it, and all these small 'snippets' help build a picture.
I'm very happy for any of my pictures to be used anywhere. Online or wherever.
If you want better definition pics of any of mine just PM me.
Turning out to be an excellent, if long lasting, thread it seems.
Happily?; )
John.
Onyourbike
In case it is of interest, if you go to posg 1203 at https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=39848&page=81&p=509607#post509607, then you will see reports of a fire on the site of the factory prior to the factory being built
In case it is of interest, if you go to posg 1203 at https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=39848&page=81&p=509607#post509607, then you will see reports of a fire on the site of the factory prior to the factory being built
Hi, Thought I would just add to this site though it seems to be dormant.
For my 13th birthday, July 1951, I was given a bike and it was a Swift, bought by my parents through our local newsagent.
My Dad was like that, never did the normal like buy a bike from a bike shop.
The arrangement was that he and I would go to the factory, choose the machine and bring it home, under our own steam. As we had no car and my Dad didn't drive it was a case of Shankse's Pony!!
In my memory the factory would have been somewhere around the intersection of Vincent Street and Edward Road Balsall Heath as we walked from our home in Tillingham Street. This seems to differ with other given locations for the factory site but I'm pretty sure that's where we went
We went into the building and were greeted in a foyer which had one of those reception windows.
the bike was brought to us for inspection. It was a mid green with dropped handle bars, leather racing saddle and white metal mudguards and a Sturmy Archer gears, it was love at first sight.
I half rode it half pushed it home with Dad keeping up with me as best he could.
My parents were horrified that within a matter of weeks the mudguards were removed to shed a bit of weight and other refinements were made to try and make it a more suitable road machine.
My mentor Kenny Evans from Turner Street had introduced me to the world of real cycling and when I realised the bog standard Swift was never going to be a real bike I traded it in against something more suitable at Moseley Road Cycles.
This shop would become the centre of my world for the next couple of years where I would just hang out with other Wheelmen.
A few years later I was a Rep for a Gloucestershire based Finance Company and I was sent to a new dealer customer, Moseley Road Cycles where I was to be paid to hang out with the me old mate.
For my 13th birthday, July 1951, I was given a bike and it was a Swift, bought by my parents through our local newsagent.
My Dad was like that, never did the normal like buy a bike from a bike shop.
The arrangement was that he and I would go to the factory, choose the machine and bring it home, under our own steam. As we had no car and my Dad didn't drive it was a case of Shankse's Pony!!
In my memory the factory would have been somewhere around the intersection of Vincent Street and Edward Road Balsall Heath as we walked from our home in Tillingham Street. This seems to differ with other given locations for the factory site but I'm pretty sure that's where we went
We went into the building and were greeted in a foyer which had one of those reception windows.
the bike was brought to us for inspection. It was a mid green with dropped handle bars, leather racing saddle and white metal mudguards and a Sturmy Archer gears, it was love at first sight.
I half rode it half pushed it home with Dad keeping up with me as best he could.
My parents were horrified that within a matter of weeks the mudguards were removed to shed a bit of weight and other refinements were made to try and make it a more suitable road machine.
My mentor Kenny Evans from Turner Street had introduced me to the world of real cycling and when I realised the bog standard Swift was never going to be a real bike I traded it in against something more suitable at Moseley Road Cycles.
This shop would become the centre of my world for the next couple of years where I would just hang out with other Wheelmen.
A few years later I was a Rep for a Gloucestershire based Finance Company and I was sent to a new dealer customer, Moseley Road Cycles where I was to be paid to hang out with the me old mate.
It's only dormant until somebody replies: )
Well done, Sir!!
I've got some photos of the actual factory premises somewhere & I'll post some pics when I find them.
This might work, but it only shows thumbnail....
Trying to upload images direct gives me error messages on this site: (
Possibly you could have gone to a retail outlet, rather than the actual factory.
Sorry about that: )
John.
Well done, Sir!!
I've got some photos of the actual factory premises somewhere & I'll post some pics when I find them.
This might work, but it only shows thumbnail....
Trying to upload images direct gives me error messages on this site: (
Possibly you could have gone to a retail outlet, rather than the actual factory.
Sorry about that: )
John.
brummie nick
master brummie
According to kelly's 1969 Kirk & Merryfield were in Bradford St.
Nick
Nick
Well I've learnt a lesson it's not until the Fat Lady has posted eh!
Well the place I went certainly wasn't in Bradford Street and whilst the old grey matter is ossifying I feel that I could do that walk to where I picked up the bike which is where I thought the address was somewhere about right.
I had a mate who had a grandmother who lived pretty near Cannon Hill Park and that is the way he and I would go pushing his little brother in his pusher. After a stop off at Granny's we would continue to the park where would spend a few hours and then go home via Moseley Village and Ladypool Rd.
It may not have actually been the Swift factory but a wholesaler, if it had been the factory you would have thought they would have shown potential customers around a bit. On the other hand maybe we were already locked into some sort of deal with our friendly newsagent. We must have been some sort of good customers as Dad always got a couple of packets of either Players or Senior Service from under the counter all through the war, together with some sort of sweets or chocolate for the rest of the family.
I know we shouldn't admit to being involved in a bit of blackmarket dealings but when all parties to the crime are dead and buried and the scene of the crime has been bulldozed for improvements? what's the harm?
Cheers from Oz
Well the place I went certainly wasn't in Bradford Street and whilst the old grey matter is ossifying I feel that I could do that walk to where I picked up the bike which is where I thought the address was somewhere about right.
I had a mate who had a grandmother who lived pretty near Cannon Hill Park and that is the way he and I would go pushing his little brother in his pusher. After a stop off at Granny's we would continue to the park where would spend a few hours and then go home via Moseley Village and Ladypool Rd.
It may not have actually been the Swift factory but a wholesaler, if it had been the factory you would have thought they would have shown potential customers around a bit. On the other hand maybe we were already locked into some sort of deal with our friendly newsagent. We must have been some sort of good customers as Dad always got a couple of packets of either Players or Senior Service from under the counter all through the war, together with some sort of sweets or chocolate for the rest of the family.
I know we shouldn't admit to being involved in a bit of blackmarket dealings but when all parties to the crime are dead and buried and the scene of the crime has been bulldozed for improvements? what's the harm?
Cheers from Oz
Sorry Mike if I didn't credit you. I just didn't check everything out before I answered.
I never meant to do anything Non/PC.
This is Birmingham History & I won't argue about originality; )
A good picture though, ain't it?
John.
@on your bike, it's nice to know that you are researching the history of the site, from what I remember when I worked there the ground floor to the right of the factory ( as you look from Bradford St) was all fronted with stable doors, in the one corner of the room there was a brick built forge but this was removed when we moved the packing dept from the other side of the factory. I can still remember the rings used to tether the horses still fastened to the walls. A story one of the managers told me is that it used to be a sort of wagon stop , the horse would be kept and looked after on the ground floor and the coach drivers used to rest on the top floor. As for a fire that happened there I clearly remember burnt roof timbers on the top floor.
It's a shame that the building wasn't saved as it was a building full of character, full of tiny rooms and cupboards that you could hide away in. The place was falling down tho when I worked there, I remember that in the goods lift we kept pieces of cardboard that we used to put over our heads as when the lift stopped with a jolt plaster used to fall through the mesh roof of the lift, I have plenty of stories like that lol.
as I said in a much earlier post it was the best place that o worked for, a family run business that was a really happy place to be, sadly things changed with the import of cheap stuff from the Far East . I left in 1988 to work for a rival cycle company, one of the biggest mistakes I have made in my working career.
I know I have some photos of the interior, not very good quality though, but would dig them out if you are interested.
It's a shame that the building wasn't saved as it was a building full of character, full of tiny rooms and cupboards that you could hide away in. The place was falling down tho when I worked there, I remember that in the goods lift we kept pieces of cardboard that we used to put over our heads as when the lift stopped with a jolt plaster used to fall through the mesh roof of the lift, I have plenty of stories like that lol.
as I said in a much earlier post it was the best place that o worked for, a family run business that was a really happy place to be, sadly things changed with the import of cheap stuff from the Far East . I left in 1988 to work for a rival cycle company, one of the biggest mistakes I have made in my working career.
I know I have some photos of the interior, not very good quality though, but would dig them out if you are interested.
Bearded Baldy
Brummie babby
Good afternoon,
I have just purchased a Swift bike. It is royal blue, with 3 gear strumy archer gears. The only frame marking is Davies Components on the underside of the bottom bracket. Does anyone on the group know how to age the bike. I have photos, but they are to large to upload to the site. Looking through the thread and the chaps comments who started working there in 79, I think it would probably be safe to assume it would not be a Taiwan frame, as stamped with Davies Components. So Raleigh supplied maybe or earlier. The crank set is cottor pin fixed and has 5 arms, so not the older Pentagon or swift name type. I think possibly late 60's / 70's. I know these threads are old now, but any additional information would be appreciated.
Last edited:
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
BB,
I suggest you take your email address off of the public Forum to avoid being spammed. People can always message you initially via the private message system - envelope icon top right.
There's a few cyclists on here that may be able to help. And welcome to the Forum.
Maurice
I suggest you take your email address off of the public Forum to avoid being spammed. People can always message you initially via the private message system - envelope icon top right.
There's a few cyclists on here that may be able to help. And welcome to the Forum.
Maurice
Bearded Baldy
Brummie babby
Good evening. It seems like a long time since anyone posted any information about Swift Bicycles. I purchased A "Swift Cycle Co Birmingham England" in lock Down. The frame is Royal Blue and the Bottom Bracket is stamped on the underside with "DAVIS 64" & "COMPONENTS 61" Age is unknown, but if I had to guess, would suspect 50s - 60s I will attach some photos. It did have the original seat, but was so poor I binned it.
( I didn't realise the Potential rarity of the bile at the time) The historic catalogue picture could possibly be the bike model.
( I didn't realise the Potential rarity of the bile at the time) The historic catalogue picture could possibly be the bike model.
Attachments
Bearded Baldy
Brummie babby
More photos