Alldays and Onions
From Graces Guide
Alldays and Onions of Birmingham was an automobile and motorcycle manufacturer from 1898 to 1918.
History
- 1889 Alldays and Onions Pneumatic Engineering Co. of Birmingham, was a company founded in 1889 by the merger of the long established Onions Co (dating from 1650) and William Allday and Co (dating from 1720) engineering companies. Like many such companies they turned to bicycle manufacture and sold a range under the Alldays name. The company, Alldays and Onions Pneumatic Engineering Co, was registered on 18 December, to take over and extend the business of Alldays and Onions, manufacturers of bellows, portable forges etc. [1]
Industrial
- 1890 Showed an exhaust blower and pneumatic hammer at the Engineers, Electricians, Builders and Ironmongers Exhibition. [2]
- 1911 Issued catalogue on Smith's hearths with Roots blowers etc. [3]
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Paraffin Commercial and Agricultural Motors, Tractors, Ploughs, Sprayers, etc. see the 1917 Red Book
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Petrol Motors see the 1917 Red Book
- 1914 Manufacturers of all requisites for blacksmiths, engineering, foundry and railway companies; also manufacturers of cycles and motor cars. [4]
- 1920 May. Issued catalogue on oil-firing burners and equipment for boilers. [5]
- 1940 Advert. Pneumatic power hammers. [6]
- 1945 Advert. Pneumatic power hammers. (of Great Western Works, Small Heath) [7]
- 1951 Advert. Pneumatic power hammers. (of Great Western Works, Small Heath) [8]
Cars
- 1898 The company produced its first car, the Traveller; however, series production did not start until 1903/4 with the 7hp model. Larger commercial vehicles of up to 5 tons were also made in the years preceding the First World War and saw service during the conflict.
- 1913 April. Advert of 'Doctor's Coupe' car. [9]
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Cars see the 1917 Red Book
- Alldays and Onions merged with Royal Enfield, a company they had owned since 1907, and produced cars called Enfield-Allday until 1925.
Motorcycles
- Alldays and Onions built motorcycles from 1898 to 1915; in 1923 and 1927.
- This old and well-established firm was based in Sparkbrook, from 1903 to 1915, and then at Fallows Road, Small Heath, Birmingham, and had its roots in the seventeenth century. During the nineteenth century they manufactured bicycles.
- 1898 The company built its first powered tricycles fitted with a De Dion engine.
- 1903 They also started making motorcycles in 1903 under the Alldays-Matchless name; these had no connection with the London based Matchless company.
- 1903 Alldays and Onions produced their own 2.25hp engine that was fitted in a cradle to the loop frame. A 3.5hp forecar was also listed.
- 1904 The motorcycles became 2.5hp.
- 1905 A 3.5hp version was produced.
- 1909 There was a new 2.5hp model.
- 1911 Only the larger, belt-driven model with rigid forks was listed. The company revised the 3.5hp model and although it was still belt driven, it now had two-speed gearing and Druid forks. This well-built machine was fairly inexpensive. Later that year the Alldays-Matchless appeared. This had a 6hp twin engine, three-speed gearbox and all-chain drive.
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices see the 1917 Red Book. Listed as Allons.
- 1913 A 3hp twin was added to the list.
- 1914 The range was cut to the 3.5hp single, 6hp V-twin and a lightweight with a 269cc Villiers engine.
- 1915 The firm moved to Small Heath and started to produce their motorcycles under the Allon name, with two-stroke engines. The machines included a 539cc JAP V-Twin model.
- 1915 Presumably following representations from them, the name was changed to Allon. Manufacture of these continued until 1927.
- World War I. They built mostly motorcycles, returning to cars on cessation of hostilities.
- 1923 The Alldays and Onions name appeared again. They listed the Alldays Sports with a 348cc sv JAP engine, two-speed gearbox and either all-chain or chain-cum-belt transmission. It was listed for only that year.
- 1927 The name reappeared once more when two models were offered, both with four-stroke engines. They were built for one year only.
- Note: The company changed its name to Alldays Peacock which was acquired by the Spire Group in the 1980s.
Allon produced motorcycles from 1915 to 1926.
- 1915 the name was adopted by Alldays and Onions of Birmingham, when they switched to producing a single two-stroke model. The machine was fitted with their own engine, with drip-feed lubrication. An unusual feature was the horizontal crankcase joint and the top half in one with the cylinder. It drove a two-speed gearbox by chain. There was also a single-speed version with either Druid or Saxon forks.
- 1916 The model was available that year, but production ceased due to World War I.
- 1919 The machine returned to the market after the war and little had altered.
- 1922 The option of a three-speed gearbox was added and production continued in that form for the next few years.
- 1926 Production came to an end.
- Note: In 1927 only, the company returned to producing four-stroke motorcycles under the name of Alldays and Onions.
Buses
- Alldays and Onions Pneumatic Engineering Co of Birmingham started building cars followed by vans in 1903.
- In 1911 trucks with a 40hp engine began production.
- In World War I, West Bridgford UDC situated near Nottingham bought seven Alldays chassis.
- The Alldays were chain driven which the war office did not favour. Each chassis cost £595.
- The last Alldays were sold by West Bridgford in 1921.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ The Engineer of 28th March 1890 p264
- ↑ The Engineer of 22nd December 1911 p650
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Engineer of 28th May 1920 p564
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1940. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p122
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1945. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p172
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1951. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p172
- ↑ The Autocar of 5th April 1913 pXXVI
- The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
- Miller’s Price Guide to Classic Motorcycles
- Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris
- The Engineer of 22nd June 1900 p650