The last bicycle maker in the Midlands: 'Our founder wanted small numbers and high quality. We've stuck rigidly to that.'
Tessa Waugh discovers why the company has stayed faithful to the first designs.


Pashley bicycles are a rarity in a disposable society, in that they’re guaranteed to last and their durability is combined with serious good looks.
The business was established in 1926 at a time when Britain was producing cutting-edge bicycles made by companies based throughout the Midlands. Sadly, however, Pashley is the only one of these original manufacturers that still exists in the area – nowadays, 98% of bicycles sold in the UK are imported.
‘Our founder Rath Pashley made it his aim to produce small numbers of high-quality specialist cycles for consumers and business and we’ve stuck rigidly to that formula,’ explains managing director Adrian Williams, adding that the company has also stayed faithful to the first designs.
‘We try to keep with the original aesthetic. The frame parts are still made on the same manufacturing equipment, although the components have all been modernised.’
Our main picture at the top shows assembler Ed Woolley adjusting the gear of a bicycle, with one of Pashley’s bestselling Britannia range in the background.
With models priced from £500 to £2,000, Pashley sells its cycles to all sorts of customers, including businesses such as the Royal Mail and the beauty brand L’Occitane, with 35% of bikes being exported. And, in 2016, it took over London’s fleet of Santander hire bikes (or ‘Boris bikes’).
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Blissful European cycling routes to try this summer
Enjoy the great outdoors from the back of bicycle.
How cycling freed British people to enjoy the countryside once again
The arrival of the bicycle and tricycle opened up a thrilling freedom for the people of Britain.
Top tips on cycling in London
Using a bike to ride around London and throwing off the shackles of Tube strikes and unpredictable public transport is
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
'To exist in this world relies on the hands of others': Roger Powell and modern British bookbinding
An exhibition on the legendary bookbinder Roger Powell reveals not only his great skill, but serves to reconnect us with the joy, power and importance of real craftsmanship.
By Hussein Kesvani
-
Spam: The tinned meaty treat that brought a taste of the ‘hot-dog life of Hollywood’ to war-weary Britain
Courtesy of our ‘special relationship’ with the US, Spam was a culinary phenomenon, says Mary Greene. So much so that in 1944, London’s Simpson’s, renowned for its roast beef, was offering creamed Spam casserole instead.
By Country Life
-
The 21st century sword maker: 'There’s something appealing about getting metal hot and smacking it with a hammer'
Practising ancient techniques to craft modern heirlooms, bladesmith Owen Bush handmakes both decorative and practical knives or weaponry, each with their own personalities, says Claire Jackson — with some of his swords celebrities in their own right. Photographs by Richard Cannon for Country Life.
By Claire Jackson
-
The secrets of the basket-maker: 'With a basket, you watch it grow before your very eyes'
Anna Stickland has woven a new career as a basket-maker; she spoke to Nick Hammond.
By Country Life
-
Where I Work: Huw Edwards-Jones, master craftsman and canoe maker
The ups and downs of 2020 didn't see Huw Edwards-Jones change where he worked, but it did change what he did: he's used the time to switch from creating beautiful hand-made furniture to spectacularly beautiful canoes. He spoke to Toby Keel.
By Toby Keel
-
In Focus — The Cotswolds silversmith: 'We make beautiful works of art to last for hundreds of years'
Tucked away in an old Cotswolds silk mill, expert craftsmen harness a century of expertise to raise, planish and finish fine gold and silverware. Jeremy Flint visits Hart’s of Chipping Campden.
By Country Life
-
The master shoemakers who shod Churchill: 'Demand is through the roof, but it takes six to eight months to make a pair'
The co-owners of bespoke shoe shop George Cleverley, father and son George Glasgow Snr and George Glasgow Jnr, talk to Hetty Lintell.
By Hetty Lintell
-
The dolls' house-maker: 'This is a place to capture the dreams of children and adults alike'
Dragons of Walton Street have been making beautiful dolls' houses for four decades, and the company is still run by Lucinda Croft, the daughter of the founder. She spoke to Hetty Lintell.
By Hetty Lintell
-
Meet the Beadles: The centuries-old private police force at Burlington Arcade, the world's swishest shopping mall
This week marked the 200th birthday of London’s Burlington Arcade. Adam Hay-Nicholls goes undercover with the Beadles, its private police force. With photographs by Richard Cannon.
By Country Life
-
The bagpipe-maker: 'The older customers want me to make their pipes sharpish; they want to be sure they’re not dead before they get to play them!'
Hours of intricate work are needed to craft a set of bagpipes. Kate Lovell spoke to bagpipe-maker Dave Shaw to find out how it's done.
By Country Life