Bicycle and tricycle manufacturers of Spon Street and Coventry Works, Crow Lane, Coventry[1], and Birmingham.
General
1894 The company was registered on 9 October, to amalgamate the Rudge Cycle Co and the Whitworth Cycle Co. Directors are Charles Wallis, Alfred F. Bird, George Gordon Brodie, J. S. Taylor, Charles Vernon Pugh and J. Frederic Wright [2]
1896/7 Directory: Listed under cycles. More details [3]
1897 Producing 25,000 cycles a year at the Spon Street works (34 Spon Street[4]).
1912 Spennell's list them at 34 Hertford st, Coventry (Tel. 393) and as manufacturers of motorcycles. [5]
1914 Cycle, motor cycle and motor wheel manufacturers. Specialties: light bicycles, motor bicycles and detachable wheels for automobiles. [6]
1914 Rudge Whitworth Ltd (Motorcycle Garage) are listed at Scott Street, Cardiff. [7]
1927 Stand 23 at the 1927 Motor Cycle and Cycle Show at Olympia
1933 Receiver appointed to run the company as it was in financial difficulties[8].
1934 The business of Rudge Whitworth Ltd of Coventry and Birmingham was acquired by a new group; a company was being formed to carry on the business under the same name[9]. Rudge-Whitworth was the largest Coventry cycle concern at the time; it was taken over by the Gramophone Company[10].
1935 Private company.
1936 Good orders received at the Olympia Cycle Show; the Coventry factory was working at capacity; surplus work would be handled at EMI's Hayes plant[11].
1936 Their old factory in Reddings lane was taken over by MEM Co.
1939 Rudge-Whitworth moved to Hayes (Middlesex) and ceased to make motor cycles[12].
1943 Raleigh bought the whole of the issued share capital of Rudge-Whitworth Ltd[13], after which the name was used on a bicycle range for some time.
1961 Manufacturers of the "Rudge-Whitworth" cycle. [14]
Cars
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices see the 1917 Red Book
Motorcycles
See Rudge-Whitworth: Motorcycles
Bicycles
- 1896 Claim to have made 75,000 cycles this year
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Kelly's Directory of Warwickshire, 1896
- ↑ Birmingham Daily Post, Monday, November 5, 1894;
- ↑ Peck's Trades Directory of Birmingham, 1896-97: Cycles
- ↑ Peck's Trades Directory of Birmingham, 1896-97
- ↑ Spennell's Annual Directory of Coventry and District, 1912-13
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ Western Mail Cardiff Directory 1914 Page 704
- ↑ The Times, 1 April 1933
- ↑ The Times, 28 March 1934
- ↑ History of Coventry [1]
- ↑ The Times, 5 December 1936
- ↑ History of Coventry [2]
- ↑ The Times, 12 June 1943
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- Wikipedia
- The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
- [3] Ian Chadwick's motorcycle web site
- [4] Yesterday's Antique Motorcycles web site
- [5] Cyber Motor Cycles web site
- The Vintage Bike web site
- [6] The Motorbike Search Engine
- [7] Wikipedia on Rudge-Whitworth
- Miller’s Price Guide to Classic Motorcycles
- [8] Rudge Enthusiasts Club