Chas F. Hill

[Aperider]

Just picked this up yesterday and was wondering if anyone here might know anything about the builder. Very hard to find anything online though "CF" and "Hill" aren't the easiest terms to filter through on bike forums. I did find one post on the C&V board:

"C.F. Hill on Kent Road in London made similar looking frames. I sold the one from the 60’s I bought as NOS when that shop was closing in 1973. Their frames are an illustration of the difficulty of finding the builder. Even though they were located in London none of the Classic Rendezvous crowd had even heard of them."

Seat post size is 27.2, frame is 22.5", I'm in the states but the seller got it 8-9 years ago and didn't know the history of it.

More photos here - https://photos.app.goo.gl/GmeZSQuGxWoiypgN6

View attachment 710626

View attachment 710627

I came across your post while searching the Internet for Chas F Hill references. It appears you are in the USA and my oldest half brother Victor Charles Figes took his CF Hill bike when he emigrated to USA many years ago. He lived in Richmond VA and I just wondered where you are located and purchased the frame from?
He was a very keen cyclist here in the UK living in Deptford London and took part in some racing but also loved touring in the UK and France taking the Bristol Freighter from Lydd Kent with his mate Bill, but gave it up after getting knocked down in USA and took up marathon running instead in his 60's.
He died in June 2016 but the contents of his house were disposed earlier and curiosity makes me wonder 🤔 if the frame you bought could possibly be his, who knows. I'm not even sure if we have any photos of him with it or not, I'll ask around the family and see if we have anything.

 

[mh503]

I came across your post while searching the Internet for Chas F Hill references. It appears you are in the USA and my oldest half brother Victor Charles Figes took his CF Hill bike when he emigrated to USA many years ago. He lived in Richmond VA and I just wondered where you are located and purchased the frame from?
He was a very keen cyclist here in the UK living in Deptford London and took part in some racing but also loved touring in the UK and France taking the Bristol Freighter from Lydd Kent with his mate Bill, but gave it up after getting knocked down in USA and took up marathon running instead in his 60's.
He died in June 2016 but the contents of his house were disposed earlier and curiosity makes me wonder 🤔 if the frame you bought could possibly be his, who knows. I'm not even sure if we have any photos of him with it or not, I'll ask around the family and see if we have anything.

I'm in Portland, Oregon. Purchased from a small shop whose owner couldn't recall where he came across the frame many years ago.

American framebuilder Doug Fattic was the person I quoted in the original post, he bought a frame from CF Hill in the early 70s, just before they closed, when he was there learning the trade. He said he brought it back and ended up giving it to a student and that he remembered it looking just like mine. I assumed this was the same frame but it's impossible to know. I can't imagine there are many that made it to the states and the one I posted has since been shipped back to its country of origin

 

[Aperider]

Thanks for replying my thoughts exactly that there can't be too many CFH frames over the pond.
I'm going to see my oldest surviving brother in July he and his daughter shipped back what few possessions Vic had left and they are in his garage so I'm going to have a root through the boxes. I suspect any photos will be black and white if there are any with his bike. I have a feeling I've seen one at the open mouth of the Bristol Freighter on their way from Lydd to Le Tourquet, France. If I have any luck I'll post them here.