Villiers electric set

VILLIERS ENGINEERING Co ELECTRIC LIGHTING

Compare the insignia on the flywheel cover, above, with that on the box below mounted on the handlebars. This rare accessory is an electric lighting set made by Villiers Engineering Co.

The front headlamp itself, while a rare electric lamp of the period, is not a Villiers unit. The lighting set requires a battery and wiring to make it work.

Although Villiers is very well known as a manufacturer of motorcycle engines, the company has its origins in the bicycle world: it was actually started by John Marston, of Sunbeam fame. When he was unable to find bicycle pedals of good enough quality in Great Britain for his Sunbeam cycles, he sent his son Charles to the USA and they imported the necessary machinery from Pratt and Whitney.

But the equipment was too bulky for their Wolverhampton factory, so John Marston purchased an engineering company, E. Bullivant, in Villiers St, to house the machinery. It was renamed the Villiers Cycle Components Company. Charles Marston ran the company, and subsequently purchased it from his father. After supplying the necessary components for Sunbeam bicycles, they sold surplus stock to the bicycle trade. But they also recognized a demand for freewheel rear hubs for the new motorcycles being manufactured, so they designed, manufactured and supplied them, with great success. The first Villiers motorcycle engine was brought out in 1912, and the company name was changed to the Villiers Engineering Co Ltd.