London Clarion Jubilee Ride to Rye House and Sylvia Pankhurst's Red Cottage

London Clarion Jubilee Ride to Rye House and Sylvia Pankhurst's Red Cottage – 56.65 miles.

• Start / finish- Servewell Cafe, 4-6 West Lane, SE16 4NY
• Meeting Time - 08:30am for 9:00am Start.
• Ride Leader - Alex
• Ride length – 56.65 miles
• Climbing – 1256 ft

Starting from Servewell Cafe - the ride will head mostly along tow paths and minor roads to the site of the Clarion Socialist Youth Hostel in Hoddesdon. We will then visit Rye House, place of the putative plot in 1683. Then on to the site of the London Clarion Clubhouse in Broadley Common, Naezing. Then to the site of the Sylvia Pankhurst Red Cottage and actual Anti-War Memorial in Woodford. Finally, to the site of Sylvia Pankhurst’s second house in Woodford. Then back to Servewell.

We will find a pub or two to stop at along the way.

Clarion Socialist Youth Hostel in Hoddesdon – there is scant information on this, but we have found the site using Kelly’s Directories. Further research is needed.

Rye House, Hoddesdon - a fortified Manor House which was one of the first brick buildings in the country built in 1443. Today only the Gatehouse remains and is grade 1 listed. It is the site of the notorious plot in 1683 to assassinate King Charles II.

Broadley Common, Naezing, Essex - the site of the former London (=C=L=A=R=I=O=N<) Club House between 1913 and 1920. The Club House had an Orchard, a Kitchen Garden, a barn converted to Dancing and Sleeping as well as a lean-to shed containing a billiard table.

Sylvia Pankhurst's Red Cottage Tea Room - in December 1924 Sylvia Pankhurst purchased Vine Cottage, which she later renamed the 'Red Cottage' presumably in reference to her Socialist beliefs. As well as being a tearoom for appealing to day trippers visiting Epping Forest it was also somewhere Sylvia Pankhurst used as a meeting place in keeping with Sylvia's political activism. Although the cottage has long since been demolished, her Anti-War Memorial is still in situ.

Dr Sheila Hanlon who has researches the social and political history of women's cycling explains in "the Pankhursts: Clarionettes and Suffragettes" that Cycling was a family affair for the Pankhursts, Dr Richard Pankhurst (1834-1896) was an avid cyclist and prominent member of the Clarion Cycling Club. His wife Emmeline cycled as well as did their 3 daughters all cycled. Unlike most cycling organisations of the time the Clarion extended membership to women from its foundation in 1895.

For this ride Online registration mandatory, limited number of entries.