1897 C. Hayward THE ONWARD Ladies' Safety – The Online Bicycle Museum

1897 C. Hayward THE ONWARD Ladies’ Safety

23″ Frame

26″ Wheels

Fixed wheel with inch pitch chain

Dover Detachable Gear Case

Discovering a 127-year-old ‘barn find’ bicycle in excellent preserved condition is something most vintage bicycle enthusiasts dream of. This wonderful Victorian Ladies’ Safety came with a Gents’ from the same maker. They had been stored together for many decades, and each have their original shop receipt (framed). The Gents’ was sold on 25 March, 1899, to a customer in Devon, while this Ladies’ was sold to Miss C.H.B Cook on 16 July, 1897. The manufacturer was Charles Hayward of 32, New St, Ashford, Kent, and Miss Cook paid him the sum of £15 2/- 6d for her new bicycle.

It’s in lovely original unrestored condition, blessed with surface rust and cobwebs. The Dover detachable gear case is splendid – it’s rare to see one complete and undamaged, as they are quite delicate. It is made of Xylonite, the name given by Daniel Spill to a plastic very similar to Celluloid which had been originally formulated in 1869 by Alexander Parkes.

The tyres are 26 inch ‘Dunlop Carrier’ of the type used in the 1950s. I believe it went into storage soon after, having been purchased by the Sharpe Brothers of Kent, collectors who ended up with a big car collection, some of which were displayed at Ramsgate Museum. Their collection was auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2005, which is where my friend David bought them.

The Onward Ladies’ Safety is shown here supported by an 1899 Hatherley Folding Bicycle Stand; you can see further details of it towards the bottom of the page.

CHARLES HAYWARD

32, New St, Ashford, Kent

Charles Hayward was a talented engineer who started in business by building agricultural machinery, and moved into cycle building in his spare time at 1 Christchurch Road, Ashford.

In 1889 he left his job and set up as a cycle maker at 32 New Street, Ashford. This became known as the Onward Cycle Works. He was an enthusiastic motoring pioneer and started selling cars, his premises subsequently becoming Haywards Garage.

The photo above, from August, 1912, shows the New Inn on the extreme right, which was at 26-30 New St, Ashford. So the garage next door must be Haywards at No 32.

The photo below shows the New Inn in 1896. The ‘Eiffel Safety Bicycle’ in the photograph below was built by Humber for promotional purposes and did a tour of the South Coast; as you can see, from Hastings and Winchelsea it passed through Ashford, then on to Hythe, and ended its tour in Folkestone. As it has stopped outside No 32 New Street for this photograph, I assume that, though we can’t see it, Charles Hayward’s cycle shop is there.