1952 Mercury Cyclemaster
For Restoration
(Now sold)
MERCURY INDUSTRIES
Mercury Industries (Birmingham) Ltd. started in 1946. They were based in Stratford Road, Birmingham and manufactured large numbers of bicycles. They subsequently moved to Dudley.
With the start of the 1950s cyclemotor boom, they were commissioned by Cyclemaster Ltd to adapt some of their frames to suit Cyclemaster engines. They also adapted their delivery bicycle, and this was sold as the Cyclemaster Roundsman.
The Mid-Fifties Scooter Bug
The tie-up with Cyclemaster proved lucrative and, as a result, Mercury appear to have got the ‘moped/scooter’ bug. It’s quite understandable, as just about every manufacturer wanted to cash in on these two new crazes that were revolutionizing transport. However, their next foray into motorized vehicles was not so successful.
…Because, unfortunately, the Mercury Hermes Scooter was a total disaster. Although Mercury tried introducing several more models over the next 3 years in a desperate attempt to recoup losses, by 1958 the company went into liquidation. With such limited production, examples of the Mercury motorcycle, moped or scooters are now very hard to find.
Above is an unrestored Mercury Hermes scooter; it came from the Combe Martin Motorcycle Museum in North Devon, which closed down some years ago. I owned it for five years before selling it. Below is a restored Mercury Dolphin (photo on my stand at the Vintage Motor Scooter Show in Coventry, Spring 2008). This is also now sold.
You can read more about Mercury’s ill-fated forays into motorized 2-wheelers on this page at the