Cycle Race - anyone know where?

[Trish1908]

Hi All
another of my late fathers pictures - but I have no idea where

Anyone recognise the shops or the white monument (post)?

TIA
Trish

[lizdb]

I remember Dewhursts as being a Butchers.   Don't know if it was a chain of butchers rather then a one-off shop. But I would have come across it in the Reigate/Horley area of Surrey.

Modifed to add : Just googled.   It was a large chain of butchers.  So the presence of one in your photo probably doesn't narrow it down much!

[Ray T]

Yes, I was about to say, Dewhursts are/were a national chain. The buildings look very "Northern" but, to me, it doesn't look like a cycle race. I'd put it down to some sort of popular record attempt in the 1940s or early 1950s. I can only see one cyclist in the crowd and I don't think cycling would have drawn such a crowd in the 40s for a race + there are only four of them and they're all wearing the same colours.

It's actually unusual to see a colour photograph from this date, was your father an enthusiast?

[mazi]

I would think is a very early " milk race" as it's a colour photo I would think early fifties, but that's no help in finding the location.

Mike

[lizdb]

Can you make out the number plate of the car on the original photo?

In those days, they were done on area, so you may be able to narrow it down via the number plate.

[arthurk]

I seem to remember some of your father's photos were from Yorkshire, and I've a couple of Yorkshire suggestions, but possibly mutually exclusive.

First, the bus colours remind me of the Samuel Ledgard company, based in Leeds. Second, I tried to see if I could find a Yorkshire cycling club that wore those colours, and the best I could come up with was the Cottingham Road club from Hull. However, I haven't found many pictures relating to either so there may be other possibilities. But others might like to take a look.

On the other hand, I thought I could make out -WX--- from the bus registration, and that belongs to the West Riding.

[Treetotal]

Not Cottingham as East Yorkshire  buses were blue and yellow....I used them regularly in the 1950s
Carol

[KGarrad]

There was a ban on road racing on public roads, in the UK, from 1890 until the 1950's.
Time trials were allowed!

I notice that there are only 4 riders and, judging by the colours, all from the same team?
Could it be a Team Time Trial?

Lots of cycling politics in the 1940's and 1950's, with rival organizations.
But a Brighton-Glasgow stage race was held in 1946-1952, and the first Tour of Britain was held in 1951.
Can't find any details of the routes, unfortunately.

[arthurk]

I've tried tweaking the photo a bit to remove some of the colour cast (see below), but I'm still not sure what colour the bus is. Dark blue? Dark green? And I think there's a paler stripe below the side windows.

Anyway, I've been trying to see if it matches any Yorkshire bus operators, but haven't had a lot of success. The following are ones I've found with mainly dark blue or dark green buses, usually with a paler or contrasting stripe or other feature:

East Yorkshire Motor Services (though I note Carol's comment at #6 above)
Rotherham Corporation
Middlesbrough Corporation
Blue Line (Armthorpe, near Doncaster)
South Yorkshire Motors (Pontefract area) - a bit paler than this?
United Services (same kind of area, and also a bit paler?) (Not the United buses from North Yorkshire and further north)
The above were all in various shades of blue; I've omitted Bradford because they were more a mid blue.

Leeds City Transport buses were dark green with a paler stripe, but if the pictures I've found are representative, they didn't have many single-deckers.

Trish - do any of those places/areas seem possible for where your father might have taken photos? And as Ray asked, might he have gone somewhere specially to watch the cycling, or would he have been more likely just to take photos of a big event in his home town?

Arthur

Edit:
1. I also tried distorting the image to see if I could make out the shop name next to Dewhursts, but without much success.
2. The street lights look quite unusual - anyone recognise them?