Bicycle nostalgia

Victorian engineering may have had its successes with its railways, bridges and steamships, but not every invention made it into the handbook of classic designs. This extraordinary contraption - perhaps called a Penny-Two-Farthings - may have had the advantage of staying upright when stationary, but it didn't catch on. It was known as an assymetrical tricyle. Steering was by the two small wheels on the right, linked by a system of rods, and drive was by a crank axle chain-geared to the large left-hand wheel.

The massed ranks of the staff pose outside the post office, which opened in West Street after occupying several addresses in the High Street and Petworth Road. The postmaster Mr Charman (standing to the right of the ladies) also ran a newsagent's and gift shop in the High Street. Although this substantial number of employees might appear surprising, it is worth remembering that at this time the would be providing three deliveries and seven collections on weekdays to residents, while the telegraph boys on the left would also be on hand to deliver urgent telegrams.

Was there a need for a bicycle lock in those days? This photograph is of Sussex Street, running between Sidney and Hobson Streets, which was redeveloped in the 1930s, and finished off with these elegant colonnades. In recent years, the buildings at the far end of the street have been joined by a section which forms an archway.

A scene which is familiar to us all, even in the rush of today's 'rat-run' world. Plodding cows head for the milking parlour, guided by the farmer on his wobbly upright bicycle.

The bicycle was still a very important mode of transport when this photograph was taken. The brick-built buildings look as if they will last for another century at least. However, the huge Allied Flour Mill now stands on the site and very little of this scene remains.