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Wahey, thanks Skully I had a feeling you'd know this, hard luck on the tagzumping Idiot.
10 minutes before leaving to meet Mark I just thought I'd have a look on the interwebs to check out his bike as I knew nothing about it. When I saw the name I assumed it was French, but a quick google revealed this http://classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Gillot.htm
Bloody hell they were British, and not only that it was made in South London, not far from where Mark was going. And hang on a minute look who wrote that article, Mark Stevens, I'm meeting a Mark Stevens, its the same guy! It turns out Mark is in the Veteran Cycle Club and is effectively Mr Gillot Worldwide, he knows everything there is to know about them, I think he said he had 40 of them, yes 40! He reeled off a list of other beauties in his stable including Hetchins and others that I can't even remember, to be honest I glazed over in wonder, I was already imagining how great it would be to spend a day rummaging around a shed like that. It sounds like my kind of tourist attraction. I'm ashamed to say I was side swiped by an attack of shed envy.
We did our best to avoid the worst of the traffic, we cut through the Barbican and spotted 'fuck taxi's' calf tattoo man/Sideshow Bob and Mark told me about Hobbs of Barbican that was bombed in the war, so I was getting a proper UK vintage bike lesson. As we rode across town we talked about bikes, Choppy Warburton, the Tweed run (he's won best dressed chap at two of the non London ones) and loads of other bike history, all excellent stuff. Mark and the Gillot had come from Inverness that morning, I mentioned my last minute discovery about his bike and asked if he minded if we went slightly out of our way to where Mr Gillot set up shop 92 years ago at 179 Southampton Way SE5, and maybe take a few pictures of his bike revisiting its ancestral home, returning 58 years after its was lovingly assembled, to what is currently a fried chicken shop and laundrette (sobs).
I told Mark I'm sure the forum would love to see some pictures and mentioned the Bicycle Tag of Bike thread and said I'd try and post it in there, and send him the links. Despite the long journey and a massive, heavy backpack he said he'd be up for that. Chapeau to him. Mark knew all the history already of course, the chicken shop was the workshop and the laundrette on the corner was the show room he informed me. He even went into the laundrette for a chat whilst I took some pictures, I think the owner was a bit bemused and had nothing more to offer than it had been a laundrette for a long time. So I took some rather rubbish pics, lovely lug work, the address is written on the headtube badge, the bike has loads of interesting features that I can't really do justice to, a 10 speed with double rear derailleur cables and those lovely levers, original Gillot saddle bag and I loved the bottle and the pump. And that behind the seat tube is an original gas cannister, and I thought cycling gas cannisters were a modern invention, you live and learn.
We then cycled the short distance to Mark's destination. It was an educational and thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, and for simply guiding him across town he even gave me a ring he'd made from some ends of some Gillot handlebars with a GB stamp and 'Brititsh Made' stamped on, how awesome is that, now I have a small piece of Gillot history. Thanks very much. What an absolutely top gent.
Mark was off to Goodwood to ride his Gillot in a celebratory ride in honour of a 100 years of the Tour De France along with, I think he said 80 or so other vintage cyclists. He was also camping so fingers crossed he stayed dry. And if he needs an escort back to Kings Cross on his return leg myself and I'm sure others will volunteer to help.
My pics don't do it justice otherwise I would post my pics in the Bike Porn thread, but Mark told me has lots of pics on Flikr. This probably deserves to go in Epin Win too.
And I don't know if it was featured on the recent poets ride but 179 Southampton Way also has a plaque on the wall outside dedicated to English poet and playwright Robert Browning who lived there. I enjoyed this wiki entry about him:
At a dinner party on 7 April 1889, at the home of Browning's friend the artist Rudolf Lehmann, an Edison cylinder phonograph recording was made on a white wax cylinder by Edison's British representative, George Gouraud. In the recording, which still exists, Browning recites part of "How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix" (and can be heard apologising when he forgets the words) When the recording was played in 1890 on the anniversary of his death, at a gathering of his admirers, it was said to be the first time anyone's voice "had been heard from beyond the grave."
More great BTOB journeys.
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Great post, blue fleet.
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This:
http://www.lfgss.com/thread113501.htmlNow we need a forum escort for his return journey.
Sherpas wanted for that massive rucksack. -
Yep, just a random meeting courtesy of the internet.
No idea on the new one, is that Skully's hand just shielding the lens from the sun or something more, have the aliens arrived?
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Ah, Richard III is the more common variant. Makes more sense now, not enough to know where it is , but more than before.
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Found it.
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Knowing Skully, this is probably somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
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Blue fleet repped. Obviously.
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Bicycle Tag of bike
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Old
Site of former AS Gillot premises, Southampton Way, Peckham SE.
New: Building that interests me in a location named where one could perhaps find the friendly South Park George III.