1886 Premier

[jim haseltine]

By pure coincidence, this evening time I read part of a history of Charles Dickens in which it was stated that in 1850 when London was a city of some 3 million people, TWENTY THOUSAND tons of manure were cleared from the streets every day. Although in the past I've helped friends muck out their stables, I couldn't believe that figure so did some Googling.
An average horse produces approximately 50 pounds of manure a day (of which 30lbs is dung), so the daily output of 75 horses is approximately a ton, meaning that 20,000 tons would require 1 and a half million horses - so one horse for every 2 people in the city. As heavy goods transport often used teams of up 16 horses (and they'd be big horses, not your 'average'), it's not so unbelievable.

 

[bikeworkshop]

By pure coincidence, this evening time I read part of a history of Charles Dickens in which it was stated that in 1850 when London was a city of some 3 million people, TWENTY THOUSAND tons of manure were cleared from the streets every day. Although in the past I've helped friends muck out their stables, I couldn't believe that figure so did some Googling.
An average horse produces approximately 50 pounds of manure a day (of which 30lbs is dung), so the daily output of 75 horses is approximately a ton, meaning that 20,000 tons would require 1 and a half million horses - so one horse for every 2 people in the city. As heavy goods transport often used teams of up 16 horses (and they'd be big horses, not your 'average'), it's not so unbelievable.

The stripes of a zebra crossing still hark back to the days of manure-filled streets.
(Pompeii,79a.d.)
To literally keep you out of the shit.

Interestingly the roads were more dangerous before the motor car.

A horse can kill you even if it's standing still!
And the owner doesn't need a licence.
Imagine the drunken chaos on the evening of market day

 

[zerogravitas]

What a machine! Did you have the chain custom made?

 

[bikeworkshop]

What a machine! Did you have the chain custom made?

Fowlers supply parts for veteran cars - it seems this inch-pitch block chain is used for some early chain- driven autos.
They get it custom made once a year or so, in Ammurikey I believe.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Inner "tube" just delivered...
In fact technically its an inner cylinder - 17mm butyl foam, to line the 35mm hose

 

[Rapparee87]

The barn find to end all barn finds!

 

[bikeworkshop]

The barn find to end all barn finds!

The barn at the end of the rainbow!

 

[Markybeau]

@Blacktopdisciple

 

[Rikoned]

Amazing bike!

Have you seen this...

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:ImHillman-20190302.jpg

 

[bikeworkshop]

In the chepstow town museum, they have a few exhibits from the local cycling club:

Including a couple of photographs from around 1886 when a few of the local cyclists had bought themselves the latest thing...a safety!

In this image they are at the beachley coffee house, near where the Aust Ferry would deposit those crossing the Severn from Bristol.
And here, in a quarry, possibly Lancaut.

There's a distinct possibility that my Premier is in one of the photographs, given it had been in storage locally for generations - and I suspect if you lived locally and had a bike as modern as this, you'd be out with the club showing it off.

I've requested quality scans from the museum so I can look into it.

I'm sure there's a Premier or 2 in these photos...