History
The penny farthing is recognised as the world’s first bicycle featuring a mechanical structure, which showcases a striking contrast between the large front wheel and the smaller rear wheel.
From a side perspective, the penny farthing’ s large front wheel and smaller rear wheel reflect the image of British Sterling coins, resembling a larger Penny linked to a smaller Farthing . This is how it got its name Penny Farthing .
Both the penny and the farthing were coins circulated in 18th-century England, with the farthing being one-quarter the size of the penny. Today, the penny remains in use, continuing to be a familiar part of everyday transactions.
The first batch of penny farthing was manufactured around 1871. Most of the museum’s collection comes from this period. The peak popularity of penny farthing was from 1874 to 1886.
1890, the Safety Bicycle emerged as the penny farthing gradually faded out of people’s sight.
As modern bicycles became more widespread, the word Bicycle became the general name for today’ s bikes, while specific terms like Penny Farthing and High Wheel are now commonly used.
Penny farthing became popular in the UK and other European regions in the mid-19th century and were considered the most representative bicycles of the time. Nowadays, penny farthing not only represent a kind of historical culture, but also symbols the spirit of courage to challenge and perseverance.