From Pedals To Power: The 165-Year Journey Of Hendy

The world of motoring has its roots not in combustion, but in something far simpler: the humble bicycle. Before many of today’s most iconic car marques emerged with roaring engines and gleaming bonnets, they first dipped a toe into the world of human-powered transport. Hendy, a name now synonymous with cars across the South Coast, is no different.

The story begins in 1859—a year of seismic shifts. Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published, and the great bell known as Big Ben chimed across London for the very first time. In the ancient Hampshire village of Whitchurch, a 25-year-old Frederick Adolphus Hendy launched a small but visionary enterprise: selling cycling attire from his family home, which doubled as his father’s grocery and shoemaking shop.

It was a gamble. The bicycle—or velocipede, as it was often called in those days—was still in its infancy, typically propelled by pushing one’s feet along the ground. Yet among Britain’s burgeoning middle classes, it was already becoming a symbol of modernity and progress. Hendy’s entrepreneurial spirit was ahead of its time.

By 1865, the young company had outgrown Whitchurch and moved to larger premises in East Street, Southampton. It was there that Hendy began selling bicycles themselves, as well as the clothing to ride them. Soon, they were manufacturing their own: the Falcon, the Solent King, and the Solent Queen became early emblems of homegrown innovation.

Fortuitously, the bicycle was undergoing a transformation. The pedal-driven ‘boneshaker’ arrived in the 1860s—so named for its unforgiving iron-banded wooden wheels—and took fashionable society by storm. The real turning point, however, came in the 1880s with the introduction of the Rover ‘Safety’ bicycle. With its chain-driven rear wheel and equal-sized tyres, it set the template for today’s bicycle. When paired with Dunlop’s revolutionary pneumatic tyres, it became not only practical but comfortable—a true modern machine.

Ever alert to opportunity, Hendy began experimenting with attaching small engines to bicycles, anticipating the arrival of yet another revolution: the motorcycle. And in the 1880s, revolution did arrive, spluttering noisily into life in the form of the motor car. Hendy became an agent for Benz—the world’s first car manufacturer—as well as French pioneer Bollé. In 1898, Frederick Adolphus Hendy purchased his first Benz.

The company’s portfolio expanded rapidly. Hendy became an agent for De Dion, Daimler, Morris, and also sold motorcycles from brands such as Connaught, Matchless, and Douglas. If it moved and offered personal mobility, Hendy was part of the movement.

A defining moment came in 1910. News of the Ford Model T had crossed the Atlantic, and Percy Hendy—youngest son of Frederick—was eager to align with the motoring giant. Meeting Henry Ford himself at Southampton docks on 7 November 1910, he signed what would become the first Ford dealer agreement in Britain. Just a year later, the first British-built Model T emerged from Trafford Park in Manchester. The factory would grow into Europe’s largest car plant, and Hendy’s role as a key Ford distributor was firmly established.

Business flourished. Hendy expanded into Boscombe and acquired further premises across Southampton, laying the foundations for a growing South Coast presence. In 1923, Frederick Adolphus Hendy passed away aged 89, leaving the business in the capable hands of his eldest son, Frederick William, and later, Percy.

But 1939 brought darker times. The outbreak of the Second World War overshadowed all.

Southampton was heavily bombed, and Hendy’s premises on Pound Tree Road suffered significant damage. After the Luftwaffe targeted the Supermarine Spitfire factory in 1940, the Ministry of Aircraft Production requisitioned Hendy’s Vincent Walk and Chandler’s Ford sites to aid in the war effort. Car and tractor sales ceased; Spitfires were now on the production line.

Following the war, the motoring boom resumed with gusto. New Ford models such as the Consul, Anglia, and Zephyr proved wildly popular. When Percy Hendy passed away in 1956, the baton was passed to his nephew Arthur, as Hendy continued to ride the wave of Britain’s love affair with the motor car.

The 1960s brought fresh success, with the Cortina and Escort cementing Ford’s status as market leader and Hendy’s as a trusted regional powerhouse. The business expanded into Bournemouth, Portsmouth, and Southsea. Meanwhile, Hendy Industrial Engines—later known as Hendy Power—offered advanced engine testing facilities. By 1976, the company had also added Iveco trucks to its growing list of offerings.

Diversification became a hallmark of the modern Hendy. The company moved into leasing, rental, specialist vehicle manufacturing—including tow tractors for the Ministry of Defence—and motorsport. In 1991 and 1992, the Hendy name was etched into the British National Rally Championship winner’s list.

In 1996, the company’s strategic foresight was again evident. Recognising the momentum of Japanese manufacturers, Hendy opened its first Honda dealership in Exeter, followed by another in Barnstaple a year later. After 80 years as a Ford exclusive, Hendy was evolving into a multi-marque group.

Under the leadership of Paul Hendy Chief Executive, and the seventh Hendy to head the business—the company has undergone an extraordinary transformation.

And yet, for all its growth and innovation, Hendy remains proudly rooted in its family heritage. Still headquartered on the South Coast. Still driven by the same spirit of ingenuity and boldness that saw a young man in Whitchurch sell bicycle clothing from his father’s front room more than 165 years ago.