Dunstable Yesteryear: Charlie Cole's bicycle shop

The Charlie Cole shop in High Street North, now a branch of the Nationwide Building Society, specialised in the sale of bicycles. But its range of stock was much wider, and the glass windows alongside its long entranceway would display a desirable collection of toys and hobby kits. The unusual photo here, supplied by the Cole family, shows the route taken by customers as they left the shop to emerge into the high street.

Charlie Cole, who died in 1991 just before his 91st birthday, had been a famous racing cyclist, winning many trophies on grass tracks and in time trials in the 1930s and 40s. He went on to dominate veteran races.

His first cycle shop in Dunstable was in West Street, in 1924. He moved to High Street North in about 1933, taking over what had been a hat shop. He hung an old “penny-farthing” bicycle over the shop entrance and this became a local landmark. It had been given to him by Harold Knowles, who was a market gardener in the area. The business moved to new premises in High Street South in 1985.

The photo here is reproduced in the annual Dunstable Calendar, published by the Don’t Let Dunstable Die website. It’s on sale now in many local venues.

Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society.