Townsend and Co of Hunt End, nr Redditch
1851 George Townsend established a needle making mill in Hunt End, Redditch, named "Givry Works".
1862 Exhibition. George Townsend and Co, Girvey Works, Hunt End, Redditch. Needles made for sewing machines.[1]
After George Townsend died, his son George Townsend, Junior. and his half brother bought into Givry Works and made a crude bicycle.
1880 Advertisement. George Townsend and Co, Hunt End, Redditch, Needle Manufacturers. Needle Case.[2]
After 1880, George Jr. invented a saddle that used only one length of wire in the two springs and in the frame work. This was adopted, patented and marketed as the "Townsend Cyclists Saddle And Springs". Gradually Townsend moved onto producing bicycles.
1884 George Townsend, needle manufacturer, Hunt End. Charged with damaging a fence belonging to S. and W. Welch, needle manufacturers, while fox hunting.[3]
1888 February. Stanley Exhibition of Cycles in Westminster. Showed spring and saddle.
1888 George Townsend and William C. Gould, of Redditch - patent on needles.[4].
1889 George Townsend (was it the same one?) was granted a patent on velocipedes[5].
1891 March. Exhibited of cycles at the Royal Aquarium. George Townsend and Co, Redditch.[6]
1891 Albert Eadie and R. W. Smith bought the bicycle business of George Townsend near Redditch, to form the Eadie Manufacturing Co in Hunt End, near Redditch.
See Also
Sources of Information
- The Engineer 1888/02/10 p118 & p162
- History of Royal Enfield [1]