A Red Wheel for the Moulton Bicycle Factory
On Saturday 22 August, we were delighted to welcome Moulton owners and enthusiasts from across the UK and around the world to the Moulton Bicycle Factory in Bradford on Avon for the unveiling of our Red Wheel plaque, awarded by the National Transport Trust.
The unveiling coincided with the annual gathering of the Moulton Bicycle Club and was conducted by Lady Judith McAlpine, President of the National Transport Trust, Sam Blackwell, Mayor of Bradford on Avon, and Adrian Williams, Director of The Moulton Bicycle Company.
It was a wonderful occasion to celebrate this prestigious award. With around 175 Red Wheel plaques awarded to date, it represents significant recognition of the part the Moulton Bicycle Factory has played in Britain’s transport history.
A group of Moulton bike riders in the 1960s
Moulton Bicycles, founded by pioneering engineer Dr Alex Moulton, led the world in the development and production of a small-wheeled, full-suspension bicycle in the early 1960s. The revolutionary design transformed the bicycle industry, and demand for Moulton bicycles grew rapidly. Alex Moulton’s design also helped spark the wider small-wheel bicycle movement, influencing the development of bicycles produced by other manufacturers, including Brompton and Dahon. The Moulton Bicycle Factory was doubled in size following its launch and, by the mid-1960s, with the assistance of its subcontractor partners, Moulton had become the second-largest bicycle manufacturer in England, behind Raleigh.
Inside the Moulton factory, 1983
Today, The Moulton Bicycle Company continues to design and manufacture the latest generation of Moulton Spaceframe bicycles at the factory, with approximately 85% of production exported to discerning customers around the world, particularly in Japan and China.
The factory sits within the wider Hall Estate, where Dr Moulton lived and worked and developed many of his engineering ideas, including his pioneering automotive suspension systems and revolutionary bicycle. It remains a significant landmark in Bradford on Avon and has played an important role in the local community, providing employment for generations of local people. One employee, Tim Bigwood, has worked at Moulton for more than 64 years.
Moulton's longest serving employee, Timmy Bigwood
We hope that the award of the Red Wheel plaque will help the Moulton Factory and its significance in Britain’s transport heritage become better known to a wider and younger audience, both locally and nationally, while serving as a source of inspiration for designers and engineers of the future.
