Rudge-Whitworth
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]).
1907 July. Details of their detachable wire wheel.[5]
1908 October. Details of the new detachable wheel.[6]
1912 Spennell's list them at 34 Hertford st, Coventry (Tel. 393) and as manufacturers of motorcycles. [7]
1914 Cycle, motor cycle and motor wheel manufacturers. Specialties: light bicycles, motor bicycles and detachable wheels for automobiles. [8]
1914 Rudge Whitworth Ltd (Motorcycle Garage) are listed at Scott Street, Cardiff. [9]
1927 Stand 23 at the 1927 Motor Cycle and Cycle Show at Olympia
1932 Frank George Woollard was appointed managing director.
1933 Receiver appointed to run the company as it was in financial difficulties[10].
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[11]. Rudge-Whitworth was the largest Coventry cycle concern at the time; it was taken over by the Gramophone Company[12].
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[13].
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[14].
1943 Raleigh bought the whole of the issued share capital of Rudge-Whitworth Ltd[15], after which the name was used on a bicycle range for some time.
1961 Manufacturers of the "Rudge-Whitworth" cycle. [16]
Cars
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices see the 1917 Red Book
Bicycles
- 1896 Claim to have made 75,000 cycles this year
Motorcycles
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
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1907/08/17
- ↑ The Autocar 1908/10/24
- ↑ 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