Hunt End

Hunt End, England was a village of several small mills manufacturing needles and fish-hooks. It was here in 1851 that George Townsend put up his needle-making mill, which he named Givry Works. But it wasnt until his passing away that his son, George Jr. and his half-brother brought into Givry Works one of the first 'boneshakers' a crude cycle. It had a backbone of iron, with wooden wheels, iron tyres and pedals of triangular pieces of wood! Though the bike was a source of some amusement, George and his team felt they could easily improve on it.The earliest modern safety bicycle with two wheels of equal size had appeared in about 1880. All manufacturers were trying their hand at this new venture. So was George Townsend Jr. By luck, he chanced upon an invention in his neighborhood a saddle that only used one length of wire in the two springs and in the framework. This was adopted, patented and marketed as the 'Townsend Cyclists Saddle & Spring'. He had entered the bicycle parts trade! From bicycle parts, Townsend slowly moved on to producing bicycles himself. He was also supplying a wide range of parts to other manufacturers - Givry Works was growing rapidly. Over the next three years he developed his own range of over two-dozen machines. Each machine, known locally as the 'Townsend cycle' was reputed for its sturdy frame, a character that all Enfield bikes would follow.

Comments Statistics

| | Public