The Metropolitan Machinists’ Company Catalogue
January 21, 2026
In recent years, I have eschewed public transport and become a committed cyclist, so I was delighted to discover this 1896 catalogue for The Metropolitan Machinists’ Co, yet another of the lost trades of Bishopsgate, reproduced courtesy of the Bishopsgate Institute
Images courtesy Bishopsgate Institute
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So much gear for the bicycle enthusiasts!
Ill send to Cycling friends. I particularly liked the goggles .
Top notch in every respect.
Fantastic illustrations.
GA — Thanks for adding to my collage stash this morning! Gasp — I was able to capture the image of the cycling goggles, and now have it in my array of images of eyes. I love the compelling gaze. That unblinking steady look!
The image of the Cycling Waterproof Cap made me giggle. I imagined the engraver who was given the assignment to render the cap, and decided to turn the illustration into a minor drama.
A deluge has almost completely engulfed the poor cyclist, and thankfully he is well-outfitted with practical head gear. He’s got to keep his eyes straight AHEAD, alright, but just wants us to know: “It’s OK……..I’ve got my favorite cap!”. Ride on.
Love perusing the old catalogs! Many thanks.
That’s inspiring !
Thanks for sharing, terrific illustrations of essential & not so essential items. Not sure a bugle is a good idea whilst cycling though!
Old bicycles have a sturdy no nonsense presence. Six years ago I renovated and lightly restored a 1938 Humber roadster. Despite having a couple of modern multi geared bikes the Humber is now my go to bike transport. With an upright stance and supremely comfortable saddle and despite having a single gear my old Humber never leaves me feeling any strain whenever it takes me.
After spending a lifetime in the trade, I found this an interesting post… I was lucky to be offered a summer position at BicycleSport (“all one word”) Toronto, owned by the two Mikes, in 1978. I spent 10 weeks assembling new bikes; Raleigh Records, Superbs, the odd International and doing basic repairs. Just loved it. They were English and rode. i could not have been in a better place. In the fall, things quietened down but they asked me to stay on over the winter and we were going to really concentrate on the framebuilding aspect of the business. What an amazing opportunity! It worked out so well; all the frames were sold, mostly as complete bikes. Good $ in those days as they imported a lot of stuff from Europe. One year later they started full time frame manufacturing and had a paint booth as well. We exhibited the bikes at the New York Cycling Exposition and it just grew from there. I went for a cycling holiday to Australia, and have been here ever since. Just retired and what was formerly mostly a family business is now heavily corporatised and, quite frankly, struggling with many issues. Shades of your Bell Foundry!