Person    | Male  Born 14/12/1854  Died 29/10/1901

John Kemp Starley

Categories: Commerce, Engineering

Inventor and industrialist, who sold the first recognizably modern bicycle. Starley went into business with William Sutton, with the intention of producing bicycles that were safe and easy to use. First sold in 1885 under the brand name 'Rover', the bicycle was a rear-wheel-drive, chain-driven cycle with two similar-sized wheels, making it more stable than the previous high wheeler designs.

For comparison see Denis Johnson and his hobby-horse bicycle.

Our picture source, albeit in French, has some lovely images.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
John Kemp Starley

Commemorated ati

John Kemp Starley

This plaque was erected between 2015 and 2018. We think this coincided with t...

Read More

Other Subjects

Sun Public House

Sun Public House

This pub was destroyed in a WW2 air raid shortly before closing time on 25th September 1940. The plaque says that 20 people were killed; Pubwiki puts the number at 16. The site stood empty for many...

Building, Commerce, Community / Clubs, Food & Drink

1 memorial
Sinclair Beecham

Sinclair Beecham

Co-founder of Pret a Manger with Julian Metcalfe, who he met at the Polytechnic of Central London.

Person, Commerce

1 memorial
Charles Cheers, Baron Wakefield of Hythe CGE, LLD

Charles Cheers, Baron Wakefield of Hythe CGE, LLD

Charles Cheers Wakefield was born and raised in Liverpool. (Cheers was his mother's maiden name). Became an oil-broker, founding his own firm in 1899, C.C. Wakefield & Co. later Wakefield Oil C...

Person, Commerce, Lord Mayor, Philanthropy, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Sun Fire Office

Sun Fire Office

Founded in London, now the oldest existing insurance company in the world.

Group, Commerce

1 memorial
Twinning

Twinning

Wikipedia explains about twin towns, etc.

Event, Commerce, Food & Drink

3 memorials