Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.
Chopper bikes are one of the icons of the 1970’s. This one (minus its red gear knob) was made by Raleigh, Nottingham and has three-speed Sturmey-Archer gears. It was bought second-hand in 1975 by a Stirchley man.
I used to have a friend who used to give me a backy on his red one of these but I always wanted the blue one shown here, of course. I had another friend whose Brother had a Raleigh Grifter I used to have a go on but it was no way near as COOL as the Chopper was.
Read about the Raleigh Chopper here.
Read about Raleigh here.
This bike was made by Carter of Stratford-On-Avon and was often called the Penny Farthing because of the size of its wheels.
I remember having a dream in the 1980’s about seeing a man on one of these. He was Victorian and had a top hat on. As he passed me he tipped his hat and waved at me!
Read about the ordinary bike here.
This Velocipede iron bike with wooden wheels is also known as the bone-shaker and was made by the French company Micheaux around 1870.
Read about the Velocipede here.
This is a sidecar for fitting to a bike or tandem to accommodate a child. It was used by a family in Walsall.
After the Second World War, the Gresham Flyer, made by the Aberdale Cycle Company, became very popular. Advertisements described them as the safest tricycles in the world.
Read about the Aberdale Cycle Company here.
This two-seater Tricycle is circa 1860. The passenger faced backwards. Note the iron rims to the wheels, the direct drive and the Twist Grip brakes.
This bike is circa 1920 and was made by the B.S.A. Company. They purchased the rights to the B.S.A. name from Birmingham Small Arms Company.
Read about the B.S.A. Company here.
This is a Pulvier Moped made by the Berini Company in Italy in 1958.
Read about the Berini Company here.
This scooter was made in 1965 by Ariel Motorcycles in Bournbrooke, Birmingham.
Read about Ariel Motorcycles here.
This common school desk was acquired in 1954 with an integrated seat, lift-up top and inkwells.
This Dentist’s chair may have been associated with a dental X-ray machine also held in the Museum Collection Centre but they have no details on record.
This bath-tub coffin was excavated by Leonard Woolley at the site of the Ur in southern Iraq. The body was laid in a foetal position. This example dates from about 500 BC.
Read about Woolley here.
Contents
Blog Posts
Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.
The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 1.
The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 2.
The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 3.
The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 5.
The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 6.
The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.
The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.
Notes And Links
All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker.
Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.
Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.
Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories. Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.
Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website. There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses. You are entitled to unlimited downloads. Also download free Audio Files complete with a license. These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.
BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel. Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.
Birmingham Museums – Official website.
Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.
Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.
Aston Hall – Official website.
Blakesley Hall – Official website.
Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.
Sarehole Mill – Official website.
Soho House – Official website.
Weoly Castle – Official website.
Wikipedia – Official website. This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
Sheldon’s EMU – Official website. This website began as a collection of articles, letters and emails about European motorcycles, the result of research and correspondence dating back to 1994. It now covers several thousand different marques, many of which have extensive archives including images and specifications. The site relates to vintage, veteran and classic motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, with numerous pages on road-racing and off-road competition machines. There is a wealth of information for motorcycle enthusiasts, restorers and historians, and the site continues to amass data at a steady pace.