Established in 1934, Horwich Cycling Club near Bolton have recently released digital versions of their photographic archive, resulting in a showcase of how club cycling has changed through the ages.
The club’s Tom Maher recently became the custodian of the archive that stretches back to soon after the second world war, which were originally kept in ring binders, as well as loose and photographs glued onto paper backgrounds.
“I thought it could only take a house fire, a flood or a little carelessness such as someone moving on and taking the photographs with them that the long history would be lost. We wanted to keep the pictures for future generations and club members past and present,” says Tom, who used ReLOVE Photos in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, to scans the photos into a digital format, which were then made available in a cloud gallery.
A rollers race against Lancs Road Club
“Today we have people riding modern road bikes, cyclo-cross bikes, mountain bikes, time trial bikes, hybrids and e-bikes, but we have pictures of members on older road bikes, Penny Farthings, as well as tricycles and tandems. There are members wearing bow ties and suits while riding and even some wearing top hats – it was a very different world and has shed a big light onto how the sport has changed so much.”
Tom adds that the idea was also about celebrating the events, presentations and the characters involved over the years, including the club’s yearly festival of racing when Horwich town centre was closed off and there was a series of racing over a weekend in June, featuring the Penny Farthings and recumbents.
