Alldays & Onions

Alldays & Onions was an English engineering and vehicle-manufacturing business based in Small Heath, Birmingham. The company developed from the combination of two long-established engineering concerns: John C. Onions Ltd. and William Allday & Sons Ltd., which joined under the ownership of the Alldays & Onions Pneumatic Engineering Company in 1889. Its early activities included engineering and blacksmithing equipment, after which it followed the period's broader industrial trend into bicycle, motorcycle, and motor-vehicle production. The company produced its first automobile in 1898, beginning with the Traveller, a wheel-steered quadricycle offered in private and commercial forms. Series automobile production began around 1903 or 1904 with a 7 hp model. Alldays & Onions subsequently developed a broad range of cars, including commercial successes such as the 1.6-litre 10/12, a vertical-twin side-valve model produced from 1905 to 1913. Larger four-cylinder and six-cylinder cars were added, and the business also manufactured vans, lorries, cyclecars, and other commercial vehicles. Its products served both private motorists and commercial operators, while larger vehicles were used during the First World War. The business expanded beyond cars. It made motorcycles from 1903 under the Alldays-Matchless name; after the name became contentious, the motorcycles were marketed as Allon from 1915, with production continuing until 1927. In 1908, Alldays & Onions merged with the Enfield Autocar Company, which had taken over the automobile interests of the Enfield Cycle Company. Cars produced through the combined business were marketed as Enfield-Alldays, and the Enfield-Alldays name continued into the 1920s. Alldays & Onions also supplied specialist transport and industrial equipment. Its products included railway inspection cars for British railway companies, trolleybus chassis, buses, foundry and railway-workshop equipment, pneumatic power hammers, furnaces, blowers, forges, cranes, anvils, and other engineering machinery. A 1906 inspection railcar built for the County Donegal Railways later entered passenger service as Railcar Number 1 and is preserved in Northern Ireland. The company also built the Alldays General Purpose Tractor, an early internal-combustion tractor with features including sprung axles, an enclosed engine, and a basic operator canopy. Car production is generally reported to have ended during the 1920s, although other manufacturing activities continued. The company later became part of the Mitchell Cotts Group. Alldays & Onions is therefore best understood as a historical Birmingham engineering and automotive marque whose significance lies in the breadth of its early vehicle production and in its role within Britain's formative motor industry, rather than as a surviving consumer brand.

Alldays & Onions emerged from Birmingham's long-established engineering and metalworking economy. John C. Onions Ltd. and William Allday & Sons Ltd. were associated with engineering and blacksmithing work before being combined in 1889 under the Alldays & Onions Pneumatic Engineering Company. The new business initially produced industrial equipment, but, like many British engineering firms of the late nineteenth century, diversified into bicycles and then powered vehicles. The company's first automobile appeared in 1898. Known as the Traveller, it was a quadricycle with a wheel for steering, an unsprung rear section, and a 4 hp De Dion single-cylinder engine. Although this early vehicle did not immediately lead to full-scale production, the company entered series automobile manufacture around 1903 or 1904 with a 7 hp model. It went on to build cars for both private and commercial use, along with larger commercial vehicles weighing up to five tons before the First World War. One of its better-known products was the 10/12, a 1.6-litre vertical-twin side-valve car produced from 1905 to 1913. The model gained a reputation among commercial drivers and appeared successfully in contemporary formula events and hill-climbs. Alldays expanded its range with four-cylinder cars, including a 16 hp model introduced in 1906, and later offered twin-cylinder, four-cylinder, and six-cylinder designs. Its pre-war range included shaft-driven cars rated at approximately 14, 20, and 30/35 hp, with compressed-air starting available as an option on some models. In 1908, the company acquired or merged with the short-lived Enfield Autocar Company, which had assumed the car-making interests of the Enfield Cycle Company. The relationship resulted in vehicles marketed under both Alldays and Enfield-Alldays identities. A 990 cc V-twin Midget cyclecar appeared in 1913, followed in 1914 by an 1100 cc four-cylinder version. Other pre-war offerings included several paired-cast side-valve four-cylinder models. After the First World War, the Enfield-Alldays name became increasingly prominent, and cars under that designation continued into the 1920s, with production generally considered to have ended by 1925 or soon afterward. Motorcycles formed another important part of the company's vehicle activities. Production began in 1903 under the Alldays-Matchless name. Despite the shared wording, these machines were unrelated to the London-based Matchless concern. The motorcycle name was changed to Allon in 1915, apparently following objections from the other company, and motorcycle manufacture continued under the revised name until 1927. The business also supplied specialist vehicles and chassis. Railway inspection cars were built for the Great Eastern Railway and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. A 1906 inspection car made for the County Donegal Railways later became Railcar Number 1 in passenger service; its success helped demonstrate the usefulness of internal-combustion railcars on narrow-gauge systems. The vehicle is preserved at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. In 1911, Alldays & Onions built six four-wheeled trolleybus chassis under contract for the Railless Electric Traction Company, with examples operating in Bradford and Leeds. The company also constructed seven open-top double-deck buses for West Bridgford Urban District Council in 1915 and 1916. Alldays & Onions retained a substantial industrial-engineering business alongside vehicle manufacture. When the company became a public company in 1916, its described product range included cars, vans, motor lorries, cycles, motorcycles, foundry and railway-workshop equipment, pneumatic hammers, furnaces, Roots blowers, fans, portable forges, cranes, pulley blocks, bellows, anvils, and vices. It also developed the Alldays General Purpose Tractor, an early internal-combustion tractor of which only a small number are known to survive in Britain. The tractor incorporated comparatively advanced features for its period, including sprung axles, an enclosed engine, and a basic canopy. Automobile production declined after the First World War and appears to have ceased during the 1920s, although the wider engineering business continued. The company eventually became part of the Mitchell Cotts Group. Its surviving vehicles and machinery are now primarily of historical and collecting interest.

1. 1927Motorcycle production ends

   Allon motorcycle manufacture continued until approximately 1927.

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2. 1925Enfield-Alldays production ends

   Enfield-Alldays automobile production is generally reported to have continued until about 1925, after which car manufacture ceased.

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3. 1916Public-company flotation

   At flotation, the company was described as manufacturing vehicles as well as a wide range of industrial, foundry, railway, and blacksmithing equipment.

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4. 1915Motorcycle name changed to Allon

   The motorcycle line formerly marketed as Alldays-Matchless was renamed Allon.

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5. 1915Bus production for West Bridgford

   The company began constructing a group of open-top double-deck buses for West Bridgford Urban District Council, with deliveries spanning 1915 and 1916.

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6. 1913Midget cyclecar introduced

   The company introduced a 990 cc air-cooled V-twin Midget cyclecar with shaft drive.

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7. 1911Trolleybus chassis supplied

   Six four-wheeled trolleybus chassis were produced for the Railless Electric Traction Company; vehicles operated in Bradford and Leeds.

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8. 1908Enfield Autocar combination

   Alldays & Onions merged with or acquired the short-lived Enfield Autocar Company, leading to the Enfield-Alldays automobile identity.

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9. 1906Four-cylinder range expanded

   A 16 hp four-cylinder model joined the Alldays automobile range.

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10. 1906County Donegal railway car built

    A railcar constructed for the County Donegal Railways later became Railcar Number 1 and was preserved as an important early internal-combustion rail vehicle.

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11. 190510/12 automobile introduced

    The 1.6-litre vertical-twin side-valve 10/12 entered production and became one of the company's commercially successful cars.

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12. 1903Motorcycle production begins

    Motorcycles were introduced under the Alldays-Matchless name.

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13. 1898First automobile produced

    The company built the Traveller, an early wheel-steered quadricycle powered by a 4 hp De Dion single-cylinder engine.

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14. 1889Engineering businesses combined

    John C. Onions Ltd. and William Allday & Sons Ltd. were brought together under the Alldays & Onions Pneumatic Engineering Company.

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Historical British engineering and early motor-vehicle manufacturer

• TravellerQuadricycle1898

  The Traveller was Alldays & Onions' first automobile, produced in 1898 in private and commercial forms. It was a wheel-steered quadricycle with an unsprung rear section and a 4 hp De Dion single-cylinder engine. It represents the company's earliest documented step from general engineering into motor-vehicle manufacture.

• 10/12Passenger and commercial automobile1905

  The 10/12 was a 1.6-litre vertical-twin side-valve automobile produced from 1905 to 1913. It was regarded as one of the company's commercially successful models and was used by commercial drivers. The car also appeared in contemporary formula events and hill-climbs, giving the marque visibility beyond ordinary road use.

• MidgetCyclecar1913

  Introduced in 1913, the Midget was a 990 cc air-cooled V-twin cyclecar using shaft drive. It was positioned as a relatively compact and accessible motor vehicle within the company's pre-war range. An 1100 cc four-cylinder derivative with a bullnose radiator appeared in 1914.

• Enfield-Alldays automobilesPassenger and commercial automobiles1908

  Following the 1908 combination with the Enfield Autocar Company, a number of vehicles were marketed under the Enfield-Alldays name. The range incorporated established twin-cylinder and four-cylinder designs, as well as other models developed through the combined business. Production continued into the 1920s.

• Allon motorcyclesMotorcycles1903

  Alldays & Onions began motorcycle production in 1903 under the Alldays-Matchless name. Because the name was unrelated to the London Matchless company, the line was renamed Allon in 1915. Manufacture of these motorcycles continued until approximately 1927.

• Alldays General Purpose TractorAgricultural tractor

  The Alldays General Purpose Tractor was an early internal-combustion tractor. Surviving examples are rare. Its design included sprung axles, an enclosed engine, and a basic canopy for the operator, features that distinguished it among early British tractor designs.

• Railway inspection carsRailway vehicle1906

  The company built inspection cars for railway operators including the Great Eastern Railway, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and the County Donegal Railways. At least one vehicle was exported to Australia, while the 1906 County Donegal example later entered passenger service and is preserved at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

• Trolleybus chassisCommercial vehicle chassis1911

  In 1911, Alldays & Onions built six four-wheeled trolleybus chassis under contract for the Railless Electric Traction Company. Two operated in Bradford and four in Leeds, demonstrating the company's participation in emerging electric road-transport systems.

• Motor lorries and vansCommercial vehicles

  Commercial vehicles were an important part of the company's pre-war and wartime output. Alldays & Onions made lorries, vans, and larger commercial vehicles, including vehicles with capacities reported at up to five tons. These products complemented its passenger-car range and industrial-equipment business.

• 1915Motorcycle brand renamed AllonStrategy

  The company had used the Alldays-Matchless name for motorcycles since 1903, although the motorcycles were not connected with the London-based Matchless company.

  What changed. The motorcycle line was renamed Allon.

  Aftermath. Motorcycle production continued under the Allon name until approximately 1927.

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• 1908Combination with Enfield AutocarM&A

  The Enfield Autocar Company had taken over the automobile interests of the Enfield Cycle Company, creating a potential complement to Alldays & Onions' established vehicle operation.

  What changed. Alldays & Onions merged with or acquired the short-lived Enfield Autocar Company and subsequently marketed vehicles through the Enfield-Alldays identity.

  Aftermath. The combination broadened the company's automobile branding and resulted in cars being sold under both Alldays and Enfield-Alldays names into the 1920s.

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