Post by sprockit on Jul 12, 2016 14:51:43 GMT
Living amongst the Pennine hills, I don’t often get opportunities to ride many miles on the flat, so I try and make the most of any chance I do get to pound out a few flat miles, and as the weather forecast for this year’s Death Fork Rally weekend wasn’t particularly good when I checked it on the Thursday before the event, I resolved in the back of my mind to create whatever riding opportunities I could, as there were a few places in the area that I wanted to visit.
Listening to the rain on the tent, Saturday’s Sparrowfart ride nearly didn’t happen as I umm-ed and ahh-ed about going, but as I hadn’t brought along amistress mattress to sleep on and the well-manicured ground of the site was hard on my not-as-young-as-I-was bones, when the rain turned more to drizzle I sensed the opportunity.
Meriden was my objective for several reasons, the main one being that having had a lifelong interest in motorcycles, I wanted to visit the site of the Triumph factory, famous for the early 1970s sit-in and the resulting workers’ co-operative which produced the Daytona (later discontinued) and Bonneville models until their demise in 1983, the same year that Viscount bicycle production also ended.
To help counteract the effects of heavy Nazi bombing of the industrial areas of Birmingham and Coventry, a more rural location was chosen, and the Meriden factory was built during World War Two. Triumph motorcycles were built here for 41 years until production ceased. The factory was demolished in 1984, but the spirit of the workers’ co-operative lives on and a memorial marks the site.
The site was re-developed for housing, and some of the estate roads have names commemorating the famous models of motorcycle produced here. Local residents are said to get quite fed up with people turning up on noisy motorbikes and wandering around taking photographs, but I employed my 'silent approach' - and it was before 8am on a Saturday morning when most of them were still in bed! Thereagain, the place is a shrine to the last vestiges of the once World-dominating British motorcycle industry.
Triumph had a second site at Meriden, about half a mile from the main factory, and the building still stands.
Machines for the US export market were brought here from the main site, partially dismantled, and crated before despatch to the USA.
It's good to see that the building still has motorcycle connections through a company that produces high performance parts.
Triumph were one of only a handful of manufacturers who built bicycles, motorcycles and cars.
My currently most-used bike is a Triumph Twenty, but Raleigh had bought the Triumph bicycle rights about 1957, so the connection between my bike and the Meriden factory is name only.
My next port of call was the village green in the centre of Meriden, where there are two points of interest.
The first, the ancient cross,
is explained on this plaque
The second, the obelisk, is the National Cyclists Memorial.
It commemorates:-
a) those cyclists who died in World War One;
b) those cyclists who died in World War Two;
c) all cyclists who died in the service of their country.
(The various plaques may be hard to read in the pictures)
A service of remembrance is held here every year (around May if I remember correctly) and is attended by hundreds of cyclists from all over the country. Another service is held at Coxwold, about 20-25 miles north of York. These two are the last survivors of over two hundred separate events that were held around the British Isles, remembering fallen heroes and giving thanks for the safe return of others.
After paying my respects here I returned to the camp site for a second breakfast before venturing out again for the main ride.
I also had several other rides around the area during the weekend.
Friday evening
Being a lifelong waterways enthusiast I couldn’t resist a visit to the the Hatton flight of locks on the Grand Union Canal.
. . . and on the ride back passed Hatton Church in the evening light . . .
. . . with it’s intricately carved lych gate (lych rhymes with itch).
Saturday evening
After the main ride I set out again in the company of rmw and we rode along the canal from Hatton locks to Kingswood Junction where the Grand Union Canal joins the Stratford Canal via the Lapworth Link.
I had considered riding to DFR4 along canal towpaths, but was glad I didn’t, because progress along this section of the canal was very slow indeed due to overgrown undergrowth and encroaching vegetation. Perhaps we should have been grateful for Viscount’s cyclo-cross heritage!
Sunday morning
Another ride to Meriden, and returned via the windmill at Berkswell.
The windmill is privately owned, but does occasionally open to the public.
From here, back to the camp site, break camp, said my goodbyes, and dream of DFR5!
Listening to the rain on the tent, Saturday’s Sparrowfart ride nearly didn’t happen as I umm-ed and ahh-ed about going, but as I hadn’t brought along a
Meriden was my objective for several reasons, the main one being that having had a lifelong interest in motorcycles, I wanted to visit the site of the Triumph factory, famous for the early 1970s sit-in and the resulting workers’ co-operative which produced the Daytona (later discontinued) and Bonneville models until their demise in 1983, the same year that Viscount bicycle production also ended.
To help counteract the effects of heavy Nazi bombing of the industrial areas of Birmingham and Coventry, a more rural location was chosen, and the Meriden factory was built during World War Two. Triumph motorcycles were built here for 41 years until production ceased. The factory was demolished in 1984, but the spirit of the workers’ co-operative lives on and a memorial marks the site.
The site was re-developed for housing, and some of the estate roads have names commemorating the famous models of motorcycle produced here. Local residents are said to get quite fed up with people turning up on noisy motorbikes and wandering around taking photographs, but I employed my 'silent approach' - and it was before 8am on a Saturday morning when most of them were still in bed! Thereagain, the place is a shrine to the last vestiges of the once World-dominating British motorcycle industry.
Triumph had a second site at Meriden, about half a mile from the main factory, and the building still stands.
Machines for the US export market were brought here from the main site, partially dismantled, and crated before despatch to the USA.
It's good to see that the building still has motorcycle connections through a company that produces high performance parts.
Triumph were one of only a handful of manufacturers who built bicycles, motorcycles and cars.
My currently most-used bike is a Triumph Twenty, but Raleigh had bought the Triumph bicycle rights about 1957, so the connection between my bike and the Meriden factory is name only.
My next port of call was the village green in the centre of Meriden, where there are two points of interest.
The first, the ancient cross,
is explained on this plaque
The second, the obelisk, is the National Cyclists Memorial.
It commemorates:-
a) those cyclists who died in World War One;
b) those cyclists who died in World War Two;
c) all cyclists who died in the service of their country.
(The various plaques may be hard to read in the pictures)
A service of remembrance is held here every year (around May if I remember correctly) and is attended by hundreds of cyclists from all over the country. Another service is held at Coxwold, about 20-25 miles north of York. These two are the last survivors of over two hundred separate events that were held around the British Isles, remembering fallen heroes and giving thanks for the safe return of others.
After paying my respects here I returned to the camp site for a second breakfast before venturing out again for the main ride.
I also had several other rides around the area during the weekend.
Friday evening
Being a lifelong waterways enthusiast I couldn’t resist a visit to the the Hatton flight of locks on the Grand Union Canal.
. . . and on the ride back passed Hatton Church in the evening light . . .
. . . with it’s intricately carved lych gate (lych rhymes with itch).
Saturday evening
After the main ride I set out again in the company of rmw and we rode along the canal from Hatton locks to Kingswood Junction where the Grand Union Canal joins the Stratford Canal via the Lapworth Link.
I had considered riding to DFR4 along canal towpaths, but was glad I didn’t, because progress along this section of the canal was very slow indeed due to overgrown undergrowth and encroaching vegetation. Perhaps we should have been grateful for Viscount’s cyclo-cross heritage!
Sunday morning
Another ride to Meriden, and returned via the windmill at Berkswell.
The windmill is privately owned, but does occasionally open to the public.
From here, back to the camp site, break camp, said my goodbyes, and dream of DFR5!
