Monday 14th March 2005
Lillian Batchelor acquired a cycle business at East Street, Warminster, during the spring of 1942, from Tom Bellew, who had previously used the premises for not only cycle repairs but also as a barber’s shop.
The premises stood immediately east of the Masons Arms public house and were rented from the brewery. (In 1988 the cycle shop was demolished, allowing a wider entrance to be made for the Masons Arms car park – rumours that a large stash of money was hidden in the old cycle shop proved negative).
Lillian Batchelor had long since passed the cycle business over to her son Frank (in 1945). When Frank Batchelor took it over, there were four other cycle businesses in Warminster.
In 1958, Frank Batchelor opened a second shop, selling and repairing cycles, in the Market Place, Warminster, nearly opposite the junction with Station Road. He chose it for its more central location. The building, up until then, had been a butcher’s shop and a dental surgery. So Frank had to oversee alterations to the building, including the construction of a shop front, the removal of the adjoining walls, and alterations to the stairs.
Frank Batchelor has vivid memories of his time as the owner of the business. “In the early days we sold not only cycles, but other things as well,” he says. “We had something of everything – toys, electrical equipment including radios, mirrors, and even hair nets. It was like an Aladdin’s cave.”
Frank recalls: “I used to start at 7.00 a.m. and finish at 11.00 p.m. Lots of people would bring in their bicycles for repairs. Long hours were necessary to get the work done. It was time-consuming and you often had difficulty ordering spare parts. These days, times are easier for cycle repairers because you can now buy the parts you need.”
Frank was assisted in the shop by his wife Fay, who was prior to marriage, a Miss Hobbs from Corsley. Frank says: “We were making a living but not a fortune.”
As time went on, Mr. Batchelor witnessed new cycle designs and styles entering the retail market. “Just prior to my stepping-down from the business, we had started to stock mountain bikes. It’s a different world now.”
Frank’s son, Paul Batchelor, took over the business in 1988, becoming the third generation of his family to be at the helm.
Paul has taken the business to a new level. A workshop at the rear of the premises, where his father used to carry out the cycle repairs, has been incorporated into the shop space, and now accommodates more bicycles and displays of accessories.
Today, the business, which specialises in the latest models of cycles and cycling equipment, has two full-time employees and two part-time staff – a far cry from the days of Paul’s father being a ‘one-man band.’
The present proprietor, Paul Batchelor, says: “When I was at school I had always wanted to run the cycle shop but going self-employed never really presented itself as an option. So I went to work in the big smoke (London), but always with the intention of returning to Warminster later.”
“I was commuting from Sussex to London, but I realised the time spent commuting was a waste of my life,” adds Paul. “So, when dad was approaching retirement I decided to come back to Warminster and run the family business.”