Richmond and Twickenham Clarion Cycling Clubs
Two Sections, One Community — South-West London’s Clarion Story
The Richmond and Twickenham sections of the National Clarion were among the most active in South-West London in the years following the Second World War. Operating as neighbouring but distinct sections of the wider Clarion movement, they shared rides, social events, and eventually a clubroom — a reflection of the close-knit cycling culture that defined the Clarion at its postwar peak.
The surviving newspaper record for these sections is modest, but even the fragments that remain paint a vivid picture of what club life looked like in the late 1940s: hardy riders heading to Brighton in early spring, social cyclists meeting at Richmond’s pubs on Sunday mornings, and weekend trips to the Sussex coast. It is a world recognisable to any club cyclist today.
The Postwar Revival
Like most cycling clubs, the Richmond and Twickenham sections had to rebuild after the war years. By late 1946 both were active again and, in a practical move, decided to share resources. The Richmond Herald of 14 December 1946 reported that the two sections were establishing a joint clubroom at the Three Kings on Bath Road, Twickenham, where members would meet every Wednesday morning from 7.30am. All Clarion members and unattached cyclists were made welcome.
The social calendar was already in full swing. That same weekend, the harder riders from both sections were heading to Worthing for a two-day trip, departing from York House in Twickenham on the Saturday afternoon and meeting the social section on Sunday at the Dog and Duck near Horsham for tea. Social riders had their own starting points — the Orange Tree in Richmond or York House, Twickenham — reflecting the way the sections catered for cyclists of every level of ambition.
Spring Riding in 1947
By March 1947 the clubs were firmly into their riding season. The Richmond Herald of 22 March reported that on Lent Sunday, the social riders had headed south to Crawley, where they met the hardriders returning from Brighton — a classic Clarion division between the touring and racing wings of the club. The weather held until teatime before showers arrived, but the group made it home ahead of the evening gale. The following Sunday’s run was planned for Sevenoaks.
The section secretaries at this time were K. Stewart of Little St Leonards for Richmond, and A. Flannel of Cornwall Road, Twickenham, for the Twickenham section.
The Clarion’s South-West London Roots
Richmond and Twickenham were natural homes for Clarion cycling. The Thames towpath, Richmond Park, the roads through Surrey’s North Downs, and the long run south to the coast via Dorking or Reigate all lay within easy reach. The area had long been popular with London cyclists, and the Clarion sections here drew on a tradition of working-class cycling that stretched back to the movement’s founding in the 1890s.
The two sections were closely connected to the wider London Clarion network. As reported elsewhere on this site, the formation of Middlesex Clarion in December 1948 took over responsibility for racing in West London — and the Richmond and Twickenham sections’ racing members came under that new body’s umbrella, while social riding continued under the original section structure.
A Page in Progress
The documentary record for these sections is still being pieced together. If you have memories, photographs, membership cards, or any other material relating to the Richmond or Twickenham Clarion sections — from any decade — we’d very much like to hear from you.
Contact us here
Newspaper sources:
-
Richmond Herald, 14 December 1946 — joint clubroom at the Three Kings, Bath Road, Twickenham; weekend ride to Worthing
-
Richmond Herald, 22 March 1947 (Lent Sunday) — social riders to Crawley, hardriders from Brighton; planned ride to Sevenoaks; section secretaries listed
While this page celebrates our history, we still ride in Richmond today! [Link to current rides]