Just stumbled on this vintage cycling link, I'd like to see more of these, it has local interests in the story, so does the home page, "J. Berry" bicycles I believe.:
And below, Hill-Specials.
"Adam Hill started in business in Padiham, Lancashire, at the young age of seventeen. Adam, although born in Rochdale in 1914, had been brought up in Padiham and started by repairing bikes and business grew until, by 1933 he was building the all chrome racer - “ to the envy of other manufacturers ”.
In 1936/7 Adam studied metallurgy at Manchester and this knowledge was put to good use in the business and during the war when he worked in the aircraft industry. Plans had been made for Adam and his brother Tom to go into partnership and the company Hill Brothers Cycle Engineering was formed just before the war. However the partnership never came into being as the two brothers followed different courses but Adam retained the company name which was used through the late 1940s, and 1950s.
After the war premises were obtained at 22 Burns Street close to the family home at no 28 and a neighbour, Ron Dicken, joined as frame builder and finisher. Ron was particularly skilled at the hand lining which was a feature of many post war frames. On Saturdays Ron would take the company van round the country delivering completed frames to dealers. Another employee, but no relation, was Billy Hill who was a considerable innovator and who helped to increase the technical expertise on which the company's reputation was founded."
- http://www.hill-special.co.uk/history.html
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