Flinte house 1904

John Edward Willis owned the motor and cycle shop in Flinte House at High Street North in the early 1900s.

He and his wife Elizabeth had moved to Dunstable between 1901 and 1903. He is in Kelly's Directory for 1903, described as a cycle maker in Upper Houghton Regis (which later became High Street North). His business card from that time describes himself as a cycle and motor engineer - “petrol, lubricants and motor and cycle accessories, inspection pit, repairs of all kinds” - based in High Road, Dunstable (“two minutes cycle ride from L. and N.W. Railway Station”.)

He moved from Dunstable to Finchley some time before 1909: there is an advertisement in the Dunstable Directory for that year which is for “Ye Olde Flinte Warehouse” in which Collins, drapers, describe themselves as “Dunstable's Latest Commercial Asset”.

An obituary in 1939 called Mr Willis “a pioneer of the cycling world”.

“He displayed an early passion for the bicycle and in 1868, at the age of eleven, he began making them. The first machine was made of wood, two-inch square ash being used for the backbone and pieces of hardwood being bolted on to this for the back fork. Later, backbones were made of gas pipes.

“Old gun barrels were also used in the making of the weird contraptions. With his brother, Mr Willis produced machines of the ‘boneshaker' type, and although apprenticed to a nautical instrument-maker, he spent many evenings making bicycles and 61 years ago he started in business as a cycle-maker at Bow. Later, the business became a cycle and motor-making concern.”

Lesley and Geoff Boot have sent the history society these photos. John Willis was Geoff's great-grandfather. The couple on the bicycle are John and Elizabeth Willis.