Enfield Cycle Co
of Enfield Works, Redditch, Worcestershire. Telephone: Redditch 121 (5 lines). Telegraphic Address: "Cycles, 'Phone, Redditch". (1937)
Most famous for producing motorcycles, in its early days the company also produced, amongst other things, bicycles, lawnmowers, stationary engines, and even rifle parts for the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield. This legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and its motto "built like a gun, goes like a bullet".
General
1891 Albert Eadie and R. W. Smith bought Townsend and Co of Hunt End, near Redditch. George Townsend and Co had its roots in needle making and was also a munitions and arms manufacturer as well as a maker of bicycles.
1892 Renamed the Eadie Manufacturing Co. Soon after this, the company received a large contract to supply precision rifle parts to the Royal Small Arms Factory (Enfield). In celebration of this, they called their new bicycle the "Enfield".
A new company was created to market these bicycles called "The Enfield Manufacturing Co. Ltd", in October 1892.
1893 The word "Royal" (after the Royal Small Arms Factory) was added to the product name and thus the Royal Enfield began. Their trademark, "Made Like A Gun" appeared in 1893.
1896 The company was registered on 1 July as the New Enfield Cycle Co to take over from the Eadie Manufacturing Co certain works for cycle manufacture. [1]
In 1897 the company became the Enfield Cycle Co. Ltd. Eadie Manufacturing Co. then moved to other premises, and the whole of the Redditch works became the premises of the Enfield Cycle Co.
1898 The first automotive vehicles with the Royal Enfield name were produced
By 1899 they were producing a De Dion-powered tricycle.
1906 A new company, Enfield Autocar Co, was registered on 1 March, to take over that portion of the Enfield Cycle Co relating to the manufacture of motor cars. [2]
1907 Alldays and Onions acquired the car making part of Enfield, namely Enfield Autocar Co. Initially the two car making activities were kept separate.
1907 Built a new works at Redditch specifically for cycle manufacture[3]
1912 Having disposed of the car making activities (Enfield Autocar Co), the Hunt End factory (which had been dedicated to car manufacture) became a subsidiary of the Redditch works[4].
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of motorcycles see the 1917 Red Book
1914 Manufacturers of cycles, motor cycles and carrier vehicles. Employees 1,000. [5]
1927 Stand No. 36 at the 1927 Motor Cycle and Cycle Show at Olympia[6]
1955 Enfield of India started assembling Bullet motorcycles, under licence, from UK components and, by 1962, were manufacturing complete bikes.
1962 E. and H. P. Smith acquired Enfield Cycle Co and reorganised and streamlined the company[7]
1967 Enfield Cycle Co Ltd was sold to Norton-Villiers by E. and H. P. Smith; the assets of the Enfield Diesel Engine Division had been sold previously and certain assets of the Pedal Cycle and Spares Division had been transferred to Enfield Precision Engineers, another E. and H. P. Smith company. Norton-Villiers placed a contract with Enfield Precision Engineers for manufacture of the 750cc Royal Enfield Interceptor motorcycle [8].
1970 The company ceased manufacturing.
Enfield Autocar Co
Royal Enfield Cycles
- See Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield Motorcycles
- See Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield Lawn Mowers
- Lawn mower exhibit. [9]
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Cyber Motorcycles
- 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE