Cafe Racer Origins - The 59 club

the 59 started club was founded by priest john oakes who became the canon of st. brides on fleet street. Leadership duties were later assumed by Father Graham Hullett and William Shergold. The club became well known, attracting such luminaries as Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon to its opening night, and later many motorcyclists and musicians. Its trustees included Bishop Trevor Huddleston, the famous anti-apartheid activist. to british motorcyclists, it was famous for being the first place in the uk to see a preview of the previously banned biker film the wild one in 1968

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from 1962 until the early 1970s, the club enjoyed fame as the main hangout for British rockers and bikers, and generally created a positive archetype for young members to follow, in the He came from bad boys made good. at the time, rockers were considered popular devils, due to their clashes with scooter-riding mods (see mods and rockers). the club had to split in two to keep both sides apart; the mods stay in hackney wick and the rockers move into a church estate in paddington in london’s west end.

the 59 club declined considerably from the early 1970s onwards, due to the decline of cycling and the management style introduced by the club’s later leader, mike “cowboy” cook, and a committee wishing to reduce the element rocker. the club still exists in london and has a large international following. bill shergold is the president and father scott anderson is the president. the current committee openly accepts rockers.

the 59 club benefited greatly from the work done by others in the rock gathering movement, which included a classical section, a subgroup of members dedicated to championing the rock subculture of the 1960s (fashion, music, and motorcycles). During its heyday in the 1960s, the club may have been the largest motorcycle club in the world, with over 20,000 members, who had to sign up in person. members came from all over the UK and even Europe.

The 59 Club attracted both male and female members, and according to Father Graham, its success was based on its almost complete lack of rules. In addition to motorcycles and rock and roll, the club involved activities such as soccer and scuba diving, giving young people, mainly from disadvantaged backgrounds, an outlet for their energy. Every year the club organized outings to famous winter motorcycle rallies such as the Dragon Rally in Wales, the Nürburgring Elephant Rally in Germany and the Isle of Man TT races. the 59 bbq event still happens every year in tt en laxey.

towards the end of its heyday, the club saw the birth of a very different kind of motorcycle club; American-style outlaw biker clubs such as the London-based Road Rats and the California-originated Hells Angels. the rise of these groups, which tended to cater to an older, tougher, and sometimes criminal audience, virtually spelled the death of 1960s rock culture.

the 59 club is now based in plaistow, london, and meets twice a week. It remains a registered charity as it was established in 1965, and has grown into a place where families and individuals are welcome. the difficulties and cost of obtaining a motorcycle license have pushed up the age of membership, but members ages 18 to 65 still attend. The management committee has four members who have been helping the club since the 1960s. The club has been staffed exclusively by unpaid volunteers since the early 1990s.

Since 2006, the 59 Club has been recognized worldwide as a true motorcycle club with a rich history and members spanning the globe. Unique to the 59 club, and setting it apart from other motorcycle clubs such as the slackers, heathens, mongols, outlaws, or hell’s angels, is the fact that members are not considered one percent. their allegiance is to the English motorcycles they ride and the music/fashion subculture associated with rockabilly, rockers and cafe racers. The main patrons of this organization are enthusiasts of classic or vintage British and Italian motorcycles such as Norton, Triumph, Ariel, Matchless, AJS, BSA, Royal Enfield, Moto Guzzi and Ducati. Club 59 currently maintains ties to both the Ace Cafe and the Rockers Gathering. as of 2006, the club had over 29,500 members, of whom around 600 renewed their subscription each year. It is also worth mentioning the fact that the club is not a “Christian biker club” and does not have a church agenda, it just started as a church sponsored youth group.

original source wikipedia / special thanks to hector