Frederick Rushbrooke

Frederick William Rushbrooke (9 December 1861 - 1953) was the founder of Halfords, one of the United Kingdom's largest chains of cycle shops.

The son of a miller and confectioner from Willenhall in Staffordshire, Frederick Rushbrooke initially established himself in business as a wholesale ironmonger in Birmingham. For recreation he enjoyed cycling on his pennyfarthing. In 1902 he opened a branch of his business in Halford Street in Leicester and called it the Halford Cycle Shop.

He bought Burcot Grange, a country house in Burcot in 1927 but ten years later decided to donate it to the Birmingham & Midland Eye Hospital as an annex to treat inflammation of the eye.

He died in 1953.

In 1896 he married Lily Jenks Wilkinson and together they went on to have a son and two daughters.

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