Saunders and fortescue cycles Lewisham

[Phil may]

I'm.looking for information, especially photos of bikes made by Sidney Fortescue Hubbard between 1900 and 1941 when they stopped trading. They had 4 shops in Peckham, Croydon and Lewisham and are in various London phone directories up to 1941 when I believe the workshop was bombed.

 

[Cycleops]

That's a lovely looking bike.
Are you sure they actually made the frames? I've never heard this name mentioned in regard to builders. They probably bough in the frames and put their name on them.
Someone else might have some information on them and might recognise the frame or that number. Be fun finding all the original parts as the wheels and chain set look to have been changed.
Nice find.

 

[Phil may]

Hubbard lists his profession as cycle maker in the 1911 census, but there were severaframe builders in the locality at the tim . Holdsworth. claude Bulter I think

 

[Cycleops]

He could of course have bought the frames in and assembled them then he would indeed be a 'cycle maker' and if you can't find any evidence that he actually made the frames this looks like the most likely scenario. This was quite common practice even amongst shops that did make their own frames.

 

[Phil may]

Indeed. Identifying the maker will.probably be impossible I guess, which is why I would love to see another bike, or a sales catalogue

 

[Phil may]

I'm getting somewhere.now. Fortescue is the same family as Fortescue if Reading. And I've found a catalogue which features the bike

 

[Cowthorpe]

My granddad mr Jones was manager of Lewisham Saunders and Fortescue and my father worked there too until it went out of business (about 1958?). Mr Clarke manager before that. I worked there in school holidays. They hand built bikes and had a machine to put spokes on wheels. My dad hand built a bike for my 14th birthday which I still have, unfortunately in poor condition.

 

[Cycleops]

What great information. How did you find this site? Did they braze the frames or was it just assembling the components? Love to see a photo of your bike even in poor condition.
Unfortunately the OP hasn’t been on here since February so we don’t know what’s happening to his restoration.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[Paulus]

My granddad mr Jones was manager of Lewisham Saunders and Fortescue and my father worked there too until it went out of business (about 1958?). Mr Clarke manager before that. I worked there in school holidays. They hand built bikes and had a machine to put spokes on wheels. My dad hand built a bike for my 14th birthday which I still have, unfortunately in poor condition.

Great information, I too would love to see a photo of your bike, whatever condition it is in.

 

[Phil may]

I'm back, my Saunders is finished, I'll get some photos up. It's great to hear that there is another S and F bike. I too would love to see a photo, and would love to find out more

 

[Gunk]

Photos please.......

 

[Cowthorpe]

I have belatedly picked up the thread. I will respond soon, and bike photo when I've retrieved it from back of shed.

 

[FOMO Sapiens]

I joined this forum just to echo the calls for a photo of the handbuilt Fortescue bike!

I live in Reading and have walked past the Fortescue Bros Ltd sign many times. On seeing it again today I decided to do some digging into the history. Glad to see someone here restoring one to its former glory. What a shame places like London and Reading aren't the cycling manufacturing hubs they used to be.

 

[Shurrupmum]

I came across this forum when researching my family history. My Great Grandaunt, Jessie Roberts was married to Stanley Fortescue. I have this picture of their shop at 48 Peckham Rye. I have also discovered his son Charlie had a cycle shop at New Cross.

 

[goldcoastjon]

I am intrigued by the "necklace" hanging from the front door with a white sign (see the number 6?) hanging from it. Was this a street number sign? A race number? I have never seen anything like it before.