[CR] Mystery British Bike with Swirly lugs

(Example: Framebuilders:Alberto Masi)

Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:19:34 +0000
From: "Norris Lockley" <nlockley73@googlemail.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR] Mystery British Bike with Swirly lugs


If I was a betting man I would be putting my pension money on this being a Jack Fothergill frame.

Jack was very well known up in the north west of England in the 50s, but his bikes are few and far between these days, which is a surprising fact becasue the firm employed quite a lot of in-house builders..

Based in Liverpool, just across the dingy River Mersey from Birkenhead where the Hewit Brothers had theirebike shop selling frames under the Clifton Cycles brand, Fothergill was well known for his extremely high-quality frames..building both classy lugged as well as lugless bronze-welded ones. He was known to supply other shops with their own-brand frames , some of them being very Italianat

There were numerous builders such as Harry Quinn, the Walvales etc around Liverpool at the time and it is only recently that Jack Fothergill's work is becoming better known.

To check out my theory, visit Peter Underwood's site http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk Here you will find Fothergill under the Classic Builders, but the better frame is under the Readers' Own bikes pages.

Curiously there is, these days, Paul Hewitt Cycles, in Chorley, not more than about thirty miles away from Birkenhead. Maybe I should enquire

Just thought that I would check out Birkenhead before posting email. As I thought Clifton Square is right in the centre of the town, just in fron of the Central Railway Station..so the shop would be only about ten minute's drive under the Mersey Tunnel from Fothergill's workshop.

Norris Lockley

Settle Uk