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Author Topic: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think  (Read 1490 times)

Offline Kiwi Carol

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Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« on: Wednesday 25 August 21 09:28 BST (UK) »
I am doing some research for a friend. She says her father worked for Hobdays all his life as a Cycle and accessory person in north London 1920s thru to 1950s? I googled it but can find no information about a cycle industry/distributors/manufacturers?
It possibly now doesn't exist but does anyone know anything about it
Kiwi Carol

Offline ShaunJ

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Re: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 25 August 21 09:42 BST (UK) »
This from the 1934 PO Directory:

UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline ShaunJ

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Re: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 25 August 21 09:44 BST (UK) »
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Kiwi Carol

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Re: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 26 August 21 10:14 BST (UK) »
Was amused by your collection of items for me; thanks Shaun. No history as such. I thought there might be something on Wikipedia. Hobdays was obviously much bigger than just cycles.
Carol

Offline Mvann

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Re: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 26 August 21 11:59 BST (UK) »

Offline Chris Doran

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Re: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« Reply #5 on: Friday 27 August 21 01:17 BST (UK) »
Not in 1939 London Classified Directory ("Yellow Pages") under Cycle or Motor Accessories. Under Radio Apparatus Dealers there is:
Hobday, H. A., Ltd., 544 London Rd, tel: THOrnt(on) H(eath)
which is in Croydon, SE London, and if it's where I think it is, is a small shop. Perhaps it was unconnected, or the bigger part of the empire moved out of London during the war. Did the friend's father mention anything about whether they did any war work?

It should be possible to track them using the phone books on Ancestry.
Researching Penge, Anerley, (incuding the Crystal Palace) and neighbouring parts of Beckenham, currently in London (Bromley), formerly Surrey and/or Kent.

Offline Kiwi Carol

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Re: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 12 September 21 22:57 BST (UK) »
Thank you for that; I will follow this up. I was vaguely thinking of a history, but don't want a huge amount of info.
Carol

Offline Yadboh

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Re: Hobdays Cycle (Distributors?) North London I think
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 09 December 21 20:02 GMT (UK) »
The business was founded in 1906 and its head office was on Great Eastern Street, London.  It started doing bicycle parts but rapidly expanded into radios and electrical, extending to clothing, toys, sports equipment and general merchandise.  They had depots in Manchester, Wolverhampton and Sheffield.  The business survived the Second World War but went bust in 1960
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