Douglas Motorcycles
The Douglas Engineering Company was established in Kingswood by in 1882 The brothers William and Edwin Douglas, who moved from Kelso, Lanarkshire, in 1882. Initially doing blacksmith work, they progressed to foundry work.
Joseph F. Barter’s Light Motors Ltd. manufactured motorcycles in the early 1900s. Douglas made castings for Light Motors, and took over the manufacturing rights when Light Motors went out of business in 1907.
Douglas manufactured motorcycles from 1907 to 1957 and was a major employer in the Kingswood area. The company was especially known for its horizontally opposed twin cylinder engined motorcycles, and as manufacturers of speedway machines. The company also built a range of cars between 1913 and 1922.
During World War I Douglas was a major motorcycle supplier, making around 70,000 motorcycles for military use. In the 1920s Douglas built the first disc brakes, and had a Royal Warrant for the supply of motorcycles to the Princes, Albert and Henry.
Douglas continued motorcycle production in World War II, and also produced engines for generators. In 1948, shortly after the war, Douglas ran into financial difficulties, and reduced its output. The 1955 350 cc Douglas Dragonfly was the last model made.
The Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company Ltd bought Douglas out, and production of Douglas Motorcycles ended in 1957. As a subsidiary of Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co., the company employed approximately 2,000 people and continued to import Vespa scooters into the UK, as well as importing and assembling Gilera motorcycles.
Kingswood Heritage Museum has an exhibition gallery dedicated to Douglas motorcycles, a part of which is featured in the photograph on the left. The other photograph shows the start of one of the Douglas Cavalcades that is hosted annually by the Museum, and takes place this year on Sunday 24th May. Further details of this year’s Cavalcade can be found on the Museum’s website: www.kingswoodmuseum.org.uk
