Pickwick Bicycle Club
Object
Pipe
Production date
01/01/1970 - 01/08/1970
Object number
2011.45
Physical Description
Long stemmed clay pipe in rectangular box from the Bicycle Club
Material
Clay
Card
Dimension
Width (Box): 335mmmm
Depth (box): 30mm
Depth (box): 30mm
Exhibition Label
From the exhibition 'Pubs, Clubs & Carnivals: An exhibition about pleasure and leisure in Hackney' [21 June - 3 September 2016]
The Oldest Cycling Club in the World
In 1870 a group of cycling enthusiasts met at Downs Hotel, Hackney Downs to form a cycling club. With the recent death of the writer Charles Dickens, they named the organisation ‘The Pickwick Bicycle Club’ in honour of his novel The Pickwick Papers.
The group is known for its eccentric rules. Membership is by invitation, and limited to the number of characters in the novel. Members adopt the name of a character, and wear a uniform of straw hats and striped blazers.
As well as cycle rides across the country, the group are known for their meals twice a year at the Connaught Rooms, near Covent Garden. These clay pipes are part of the traditional table setting at these events. Smoking, as the box tells you, was not optional.
The Oldest Cycling Club in the World
In 1870 a group of cycling enthusiasts met at Downs Hotel, Hackney Downs to form a cycling club. With the recent death of the writer Charles Dickens, they named the organisation ‘The Pickwick Bicycle Club’ in honour of his novel The Pickwick Papers.
The group is known for its eccentric rules. Membership is by invitation, and limited to the number of characters in the novel. Members adopt the name of a character, and wear a uniform of straw hats and striped blazers.
As well as cycle rides across the country, the group are known for their meals twice a year at the Connaught Rooms, near Covent Garden. These clay pipes are part of the traditional table setting at these events. Smoking, as the box tells you, was not optional.
On display?
No
Inscription
Pickwick Bicycle Club
Gentleman you must smoke
The oldest bicycle club in the world and the oldest Dickensian Association extant
Gentleman you must smoke
The oldest bicycle club in the world and the oldest Dickensian Association extant
