A father-and-son tandem team will reach the end of the road at the oldest bicycle business in Greenwich borough when they pull down the shutters at Harry Perry Cycles in Woolwich in July.

Paul Mepham, who is about to turn 80, has sold bikes, mended bikes and talked bikes to anyone who would listen since he opened Harry Perry’s doors 51 years ago.

His son, Rob, 54, has worked behind the counter for 42 of those years, having started as a Saturday boy, a role now being briefly reprised by Rob’s son Luke, 13.

It’s clearly been a family affair,  and that includes the behind-the-scenes role of Paul’s wife, Kath. So who was Harry Perry? Paul is happy to talk amid the spanners, sprockets, wheels and frames that litter his workshop lair at the back of the shop.

Harry Perry in his workshop
Harry Perry was at the heart of the business when it was called Excel Cycles. Image: Paul Mepham

He can trace the business back to 1908, when it was founded, in Cross Street by two brothers, Jimmy and George Blackett. They had their ups and downs, including a major falling-out during World War One. Harry Perry came on the scene in 1921 and stayed for half a century.

“Harry was a brilliant frame builder”, Paul says. “You name it, he built it; track racing frames, road frames, even some tandems.” The business, trading as Excel Cycles, went through various owners until Harry bought it outright in the 1950s.

Paul Mepham went to work for Harry in 1964, aged 19. He remembers: “Harry Perry was a lovely, lovely, guy. He’d been an auxiliary fireman in Woolwich during the Blitz. He’d seen some truly horrible things, but he remained such a kind man. He taught me so much.”

Harry died suddenly in 1973. The following year Paul and his wife took the plunge and bought the business from Harry’s widow, changing its name from Excel to Harry Perry Cycles. “Harry and I had got on so well,” he says. “He didn’t have children and it seemed a way to remember him.”

Three men in a workshop with the arms around each other
Rob, Luke and Paul Mepham will still be serving customers until July. Image: Brian Stater

Now, so many years later, the time feels right to finish. Paul is ready to spend more time with his collection of classic bikes — the oldest dates back to 1928 — and Rob, a talented singer and keyboard player, is moving on to the music business.

So what has been the best thing about a life in cycling? “Every day!” bellows Paul. He bubbles with excitement about his racing career — he was a top-class rider — and his decision, with Kath, to sponsor VC Elan, a crack south London club. The deal brought mountains of medals and ran for 47 years.

Rob pauses, considers the question, and says: “For me, the best thing has been the people. Harry Perry Cycles has been almost a social club. Me, Dad and the customers, we’re all mates. Sometimes, it’s like being down the pub; this place is like a community centre. We talk a lot and laugh a lot. The thing I’m going to miss most is my friends.”

Harry Perry Cycles is at Unit 6, 88-104 Powis Street, SE18 6LQ.

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