This is a piece of writing taken from an edition of the Teesdale Mercury in February 1927 (see photograph)
The subject of this article is Mr. William Chapman, now living in Copley Lane, Butterknowle, who was born in Quarry Lane, hard by, 78 years ago – on November 9th, 1848, to be correct, the day on which the late King Edward VII completed his seventh year – and with his good wife celebrated a Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1922. Mrs. Chapman, by the way, was Miss Hannah Parkin.
One of Mr. Chapman’s most interesting stories relates to the coming of the first bicycle to Teesdale. Velocipedes, as they were at first called, were heard of from France, so our friend decided to make one of his own. The first he made consisted of a solid iron hoop for the front wheel and a fork shaft cut in two to make four spokes, the rear wheel being of wood with an iron hoop with wooden spokes, with revolving handle-bars, and a cord attached to a pulley under the side of the back-bone to a spoon brake on the hind wheel, and with the fixed pedals for driving the front wheel. “After the machine was made and tried successfully, a blacksmith of Hollymoor, named Robert Allenby, made one, and we went on Sunday, April 3rd, 1867, to Eggleston, Middleton and High Force, on them. We sat down by a water trough at Stotley for a ret, and an old man came running down some fields, having seen us coming, and said:
“Is them what ye call philosophers?”
“Yes,” we replied.
“Where do ya cum frae?” he asked.
We told him one was from Spennymoor and one was from Darlington.
“Did yer cum by Hardy’s ould Low Pit?”
“No,” we answered, “by Keverstone.”
“Ah!” he said, “ye’ve cum a lang way roond.”
“Our next stop was at the ‘Cross Keys,’ now the ‘Cleveland Arms,’ Middleton, and we laid our “iron horses” down on the pavement; one, the smaller of the two, on the front, and one round the corner. When we came out we could not see the machine on the front for people, and then someone discovered the larger machine round the corner and shouted out; “Here’s ould foally mere.”
“On getting clear of the people we went on to High Force and had a look at Mickle fell, then covered with snow. On our return journey we were again besieged by people, who followed for miles, making a lot of noise with their clogs as they ran along the road to keep up with us.”
“At a much later date than this people from outlying districts came to chapel on Sundays in coup-carts which were washed clean for the occasion.
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