WIGWAMS ON THE LAWN - THE MOULTON BICYCLE CLUB WEEKEND

September at The Hall has always seen the members of the Moulton Bicycle Club arriving at The Hall for their annual meet. Many bring their tents and camp in the grounds for the weekend, overlooked by The Hall. Alex Moulton would delight in the appearance of these ‘Wigwams’ on the lawn, as he would describe them. He also, of course, enjoyed speaking to the owners and riders of his creation - sometimes being reminded of design details that, he freely admitted, had passed from his memory. Fortunately for everyone, the Club has members who have written splendid books on the theme - Tony Hadland with ‘The Moulton Bicycle’ (now reprinted as ‘The F-Frame Moultons’) and ‘The Spaceframe Moultons’; and Paul Grogan with ‘The Classic Moulton’, ‘The Classic Moulton Abroad’ and ‘The Marvellous Moulton Mini’.

The Moulton Bicycle Club Weekend is a fixture in the calendar - these meetings have taken place every year since the mid-1970s. In those days, with the Moulton bicycle not in production, numbers were low. Initially struggling to get to double figures, by 1980 there were nearly twenty members at The Hall. A scenic ride around Wiltshire would end at a suitable country pub, and Alex himself would generously pick up the bill for the group.

With the re-launch and revitalisation of the Moulton bicycle in the 1980s, numbers grew rapidly - by 1990 the courtyard was thronged with visitors and finding a space on the lower lawn to pitch a tent became a struggle. These days the club has a marquee and blocks of toilets and showers to provide facilities for the large number of members who congregate each year.

Other Clubs come too - we’ve seen several of the Car Clubs over the years and look forward to welcoming more, and of course we have many other viits from industry and academia. If your group or club would like to visit, please contact us to discuss what we can offer. There are also some details on our Events page. Wigwams are optional!

You can read more about the Moulton bicycle here and on the Moulton Bicycle Company website here. The Moulton Bicycle Club website is here.

Moulton Bicycle Club Weekend at The Hall, 1980

Wigwams on the lower lawn.