Cycling history at Horsham Museum for #BikeWeek

It’s Bike Week, so we’re looking at some of the amazing examples that are on show at Horsham Museum & Art Gallery!

The Blazing Saddles gallery is a fascinating attraction for anyone interested in cycling.

Pride of place must go to the Pentacycle, though. It was originally designed and patented by the Horsham architect Edward Burstow in 1882.

The large central wheel surrounded by four smaller ones led to it being nicknamed the ‘Hen and Chickens’ bicycle as it looked like a mother hen surrounded by her chicks!

This original design was trialled by Horsham postmen but didn’t really catch on so fell out of favour.

Other pentacycle designs across the world have had more success.

However, the Burstow bike is one of Horsham Museum’s most popular artefacts and the Museum also has the original tools used in its manufacture.

Of course, any display of biking history has to include a Penny-farthing! Sat at the back of the display is Horsham Museum’s example.

The ‘Ordinary’ (as it was called) or Penny-farthing (due to the contrast in the size of the old coins) would have originally just been called a ‘cycle’.

As the pedals were fixed to the large wheel it could reach up to 20mph by those with enough stamina.

However, it was getting on and off that proved the problem. You would have to put one foot on a mounting step, run along to get some speed and then hoist yourself up on to the saddle and then do the reverse to stop.

The introduction of chain-driven gears and pneumatic tyres transformed the whole cycling world, though.

These ‘safety cycles’ (as they were deemed safer to use) swiftly became the go-to bike, making the Penny-farthing obsolete.

Horsham Museum has many more examples of bikes through the years, including a Rudge Tricycle from c1885, a Royal Enfield Ladies Bicycle with an engine (1952), and the classic Claud Butler bike (1937).