National Cycle Museum

Powys


Housed in the art nouveau Automobile Palace, the National Cycle Museum comprises more than 250 bikes. The exhibits show the progression from clunky boneshakers and towering penny-farthings to bamboo bikes from the 1890s and the vertiginous 'Eiffel Tower' of 1899 (used to display billboards), as well as slicker, modern-day versions.

Great effort has been made to put the bikes in context, with re-created Victorian and Edwardian cycle shops, photos and signboards – it's run with infectious enthusiasm. The building was constructed by Tom Norton, a local entrepreneur who started as a bicycle dealer and became the main Austin distributor.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Powys attractions

1. Radnorshire Museum

0.15 MILES

Small and low-key, rather like the town itself, this museum offers a taste of local social history, archaeology and palaeontology. Radnorshire was a…

2. Rock Park

0.22 MILES

Rock Park, the site of the earliest spa development, is an artfully wild, well-strewn oasis at the centre of town. The bathhouse is now a complementary…

3. Rhayader Museum & Gallery

7 MILES

Focusing on local history and life in and around Rhayader, this small museum uses artefacts, film and more than 50 oral histories to explore everything…

4. Town Clock

15.56 MILES

To call it a mini Big Ben is an exaggeration, but this dinky clock tower has been keeping Hay shoppers punctual since 1884.

5. Hay Butter Market

15.61 MILES

This open-sided market hall has stood here since 1833, although the dairy produce has now given way to bric-a-brac.

6. Hay Castle

15.62 MILES

Standing in considerable decrepitude in the town centre, Hay's battered castle is closed to the public but there are various interesting shops to explore…

7. Brecon Cathedral

19.87 MILES

Perched on a hill above the River Honddu, Brecon Cathedral was founded in 1093 as part of a Benedictine monastery, though little remains of the original…

8. Heritage Centre

19.88 MILES

Housed in a restored 15th-century tithe barn within the cathedral grounds, this centre has displays on the complex's history and some interesting objects,…