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Walla Walla Cycling Club (Manchester, England), Walla Walla Cycling Club minute book, 1897-1903
- Title(s):
- Walla Walla Cycling Club minute book.
- Published/Created:
- Manchester, England, 1897-1903.
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. : ill. ; 22 cm.
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsGV1047.W35 W35 1897Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon FundView by request in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details. - Copyright Status:
- Copyright Information
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/10949501
- Classification:
- Archives & Manuscripts
- Notes:
- Bound in quarter red cloth.
Manuscript minute book of the Walla Walla Cycling Club of Manchester, England, kept from 1897 to 1903. The volume notes the activity of the club during the heyday of British amateur cycling and includes the record of the club's foundation. After an initial section of club rules and procedures the entries alternate between monthly meetings and the records of club runs. The runs began at the club's headquarters at the Rechabites Hall in the city center and took members to local towns and beauty spots, including Prestbury, Latchford, Budworth, Knutsford and Buxton, most at a distance of around 30 miles, making the customary round trip around 60 miles. The club run records are brief but informative, describing the weather, the riders, the state of the roads, accidents and something of the destinations. On a run to Prestbury (near Macclesfield) in May 1898, 8 members turned out "owing to the unfavourable look of the weather" to cover the 30 miles to Prestbury where the church was visited and "a call was made to a friends house when we had a musical half hour with a dash of ginger beer," followed by a return journey to Manchester during which members spent "about half an hour at Ms H. Jackson's where we regaled ourselves with herb beer & more music. There were no casualties on the road."
A run to Marton in early June 1899 was hot, dusty and beset with punctures so "the club pump was in great demand," while a midnight run to Chester at Midsummer a few days later seems to have been a highlight; in July 1900 the clerk was "sorry to say that one of our lady members met with an accident, but fortunately however sustained no personal injury." Another midnight run in August 1900 took four members to Chester: "The return journey commenced about 12.15 a.m. & with nothing to impede their progress but cats and policemen the club rattled home in fine style & arrived in Manchester again about 4 a.m." Despite the serious distances covered on the road, the Walla Walla was evidently also a social club. Among the striking items in the manuscript are the tipped in formal invitations for meetings and social events which were printed on behalf of the Walla Walla. These include a Dinner and Social Evening at the Grotto Cafe in Stevenson Square in Manchester in November 1899, complete with an award of medals recorded in the attached minutes, and a full printed programme of entertainment for a social evening in 1900, with half tone photograph of the club members dressed as Napoleonic soldiers which had been first published in Cyclers News. The latter years' minutes document the dissent within the club's membership, concern over falling numbers, and the club's diversification into rambling and swimming. - Subject Terms:
- Bicycle touring -- Great Britain.Bicycles and bicycling -- Great Britain.Manchester (England) -- Description and travel.Walla Walla Cycling Club (Manchester, England)
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