Celebrating Newcastle’s Motorcycle Pioneers at Discovery Museum

24 August 2016

Newcastle's Motorcycle Pioneers

Black and white image of a man in a suit and hat standing beside a motorcycle and side car. He is inside a large garage

On Sunday 28 August 2016, a new display opens at Discovery Museum celebrating Newcastle’s little-known history as a producer of some of the earliest motorcycles in Britain. Unlike more widely known vintage motorcycle manufacturers such as Enfield, BSA and Norton, Newcastle’s Motorcycle Pioneers tells the story of the lesser known Jesmond and Dene motorcycles developed and produced in Newcastle between 1893-1925.

In 1891, 21 year-old J. R. Moore, was a bicycle maker in a shop off Northumberland Street, Newcastle. He registered ‘Jesmond Cycle Company Ltd’ in 1897, and by 1900 began fixing Fafnir engines into modified bicycle frames. Three ‘Jesmond Motorcycles’ were subsequently exhibited at The National Cycle and Motor Show, Crystal Palace in 1902.

By 1906, the ‘Dene Cycle Company Ltd’, based on St Thomas Street, Newcastle, was producing an innovative, chain driven motorcycle, distinctive from contemporary manufacturers who used a leather belt drive. When J. R. Moore died in 1924, the company ceased to build motorcycles but continued as dealer and repair agents until the 1970s.

To mark the opening of Newcastle’s Motorcycle Pioneers, on Sunday 28 August at 9.30am, two surviving Dene motorcycles will ride across the Tyne Bridge followed by a procession of approximately 100 motorcyclists from local bike clubs. The spectacle will be visible from the pedestrian footpaths on the Tyne Bridge and the Swan House, 55° North roundabout. The Dene motorcycles will continue to Discovery Museum, with the cavalcade taking a longer, alternative route via the A167 central motorway to the Cowhill intersection, arriving at Discovery Museum via Barrack Rd and St James’ Boulevard. Events will take place throughout the day, including live music on Discovery Museum’s new plaza.

Kindly loaned by Beamish Museum, the Dene motorcycles are to be displayed in Newcastle’s Motorcycle Pioneers, a small exhibition at Discovery Museum until 19 September 2016. The exhibition also includes a case of early 20th century motorcycle parts, and is complemented by a display of early photographs.

An accompanying programme of events includes: live music on Discovery Museum’s new outdoor plaza (28 & 29 August); talks on the life of J. R. Moore (3 & 10 September); a display from the Blood Bikes and Royal British Legion (10 September); Cornering Clinics on motorcycle safety with Northumbria Police (28 August; 3 & 10 September); a talk on the Velocette Twins, an overview of the Roarer, the Model O and LE (17 September), and a Custom Bike Show (17 September).

Carolyn Ball, Discovery Museum Manager, said: “Discovery Museum celebrates many of Tyneside’s great inventions. From Charles Parson’s Turbinia to Joseph Swan’s lightbulb, we are extremely proud of our region’s heritage as creative innovators. Through this small display, we are delighted to be able to share the exciting story of Newcastle’s motorcycling heritage with our visitors and neighbours in the motorcycling community on Westgate Road.”

Full details of the display and events are available online at https://discoverymuseum.org.uk/whats-on