Mystery frame 2

Viking Severn Valley seat stay cluster

Can you confirm that your Severn Valley has the same fork crown style and frame number position?

No because it's just an example of a similar seat stay as you may have...

Nervex Pro lugs (they're not Nervex Legere) and double fluted seat stay caps show it's a decent quality frame but these features were common to dozens of different marques in the 1950s and early 60s, and carried on right into the 80s on some frames. See my piece on Nervex lugs on the Classic Lightweights website.

With Cyclo ends, this is probably 1950s. 26.8 seat pin suggests plain gauge 531, but it could be butted, while the un-bushed rear brake bridge , if original, rules out a really high-end frame. Still a very decent frame though. Nice fork crown too.

May well be a top end Viking, probably not Rotrax (unbushed brake bridge).

The style of head lug (horns pre c55, fishtail later) could narrow down the age.

Hope this helps.

Can't make it out clearly but what are the two letters on the bb ? First looks like an L and the second an E maybe ?

Mick

Frame number is 11495

Could it be a Claude Butler Cordon Bleu with that frame number?
This is missing cable guides on the chainstay and top tube which both those models have, and it has pump pegs on the down tube which they don't.

The plot thickens

Lovely nervex lugs had almost the same on the flying scot, and i loved it for them.

But the pinching on the seatstays helps the look enormously. Thats really lovely.

Sorry, dont have anything to add is finding its origin, though there may be none and its a custom build for someone. That said though the deep pinching on the stays must be a strong clue.

Cordon Bleu will have a small locating lug on the underside for the band on changer mounting.

Dave

The clip retainer on the downtube is a crudely applied pin. The frame is 23" and with headset and BB weighs 8 lbs so possibly not 531 and the approx 26.4mm seat tube confirms that (26.6 post gets stuck about 4" in, so clamp has not distorted tube) - not that I am an expert on the guage of decent tubing back when.