 This Saturday London Clarion Cycle Club members along with other fellow Clarion Cyclists will be visiting the site of the Yorkshire Clarion Club House which is now a campsite. Our ride starts in Bradford at 10am and will include a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site Saltaire Mills before heading for the Yorkshire Clarion Camp Site. In the 1913 York Easter Meet National Clarion Cycling Club programme and Year Book it describes the Yorkshire Clarion Club House as follows. "The Switzerland of England" The Camp was started at Hawksworth in 1901 by the Bradford Clarion CC and later on taken over by the Yorkshire Union of Clarion CC. ... The Camp is situated at the Menston End of Otley Chevin, the locality where Turner obtained sketches for some of his finest pictures whilst he visited Farnley Hall, near Otley. 
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The cohesion of several clubs in and about London was brought about in 1907 by the establishment of the Union. The desire to do more effective spade work upon better organised lines, which inspired the few strong clubs then in existence, has been amply justified by the results. The aims of the Union are to organise upon co-operative lines, to inculate the spirit of fellowship and sociability, and to disseminate Socialist Ideas. - National Clarion Cycling Club, Annual Meet York 1913, programme and year book.
As described in the National Clarion Cycling Club Annual Meet York, 1913, Programme and Year book.... 'The Clarion' was founded on December 12th, 1891, by Robert Blatchford, E.F. Fay, and A.M. Thompson. It is the unofficial journal of the Clarion Cycling Club, and is the best paper yet issued. Is published every Friday from 44, Worship Street, London, E.C and sold by all respectable newsagents.
 Sunday 14th April saw over 400 cyclists meet at Brixton Cycles many at 8am including a handful of hardy London Clarion members. Cobble Monster 2019 was billed as probably the last Cobble Monster (something we very much hope isn't the case). One review of a previous Cobble Monster recommended starting as early as possible and this is something we agree is worthwhile trying to do. Brixton Cycles was buzzing by 8am with people queuing in an orderly fashion to get their very reasonably priced caffeine fix, to buy a raffle ticket and to sign on for the ride. By 8:15 most people were on their way. The ride is great fun, everyone was very friendly and people rode in a wide variety of different bikes and at different speeds. The weather was a bit cold but otherwise kind. The ride itself is very much a mixture of cobbles and hills. A thoroughly enjoyable day, a big thanks to everyone at the Brixton Cycles Workers Cooperative and anyone else who helped organise Cobble Monster 2019. Looking forward to Cobble Monster 2020 already! The first ever mention of a London Clarion Cycle Club was on the 25th May 1895 in the socialist Clarion newspaper. You can read more about the early days of the Clarion Cycling movement on the About Us page.
One year ago today was the annual awards dinner of the National Clarion Cycling Club in Southend on Sea. The Easter weekend was organised by London Clarion members. The guest speaker was Maurice Burton of De Ver Cycles in Streatham. Maurice Burton rode 56 professional Six day events and was the first black British Champion in cycling.  The latest edition of Boots & Spurs the official magazine of the National Clarion Cycling Club has just been published. All London Clarion Cycle Club members who affiliate to the National Clarion Cycling Club should have received their copy in the post. This edition can also be viewed on our Issuu archive: https://issuu.com/londonclarion/docs/boots___spurs_spring_2019  On Saturday 16th March London Clarion members met in Putney before riding to the Kempton Steam Museum who were having an open day. The ride was a rare opportunity to visit the world’s largest working triple-expansion steam engine as well as ride on the waterworks’ miniature railway.  Cycling weekly have added London Clarion Cycle club to their list of recommended cycling clubs in the London area https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/find-cycling-club-near-you-300474#cIMIHtIelsc0s8Jh.99
On Sunday 3rd March 2019 we rode from Aldgate to Walthamstow and back to London. The route was primarily along cycle and canal paths to Walthamstow, where we visited the Vestry Museum (highlight being a set of Socialist Sunday School 10 Commandments), Assembly Halls (highlight being "Fellowship is Life and Lack of Fellowship is Death" carved in to its exterior) and we also visited the William Morris Gallery (highlight being the Walter Crane artwork). In Walthamstow we met a fellow London Clarion member for a quick drink before heading back to London. Walter Crane designed the Angel logo for Clarion Cycling Clubs in 1912. The National Clarion Cycling Club 1895 (formed in 2006 after the National Clarion Cycling Club split) has now restored the logo in its original form.     |
AuthorLondon Clarion is a cycling club with members from across London and further afield. Archives
April 2019
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