Alexander Eric Moulton(9 April 1920 – 9 December 2012)[1]was an English engineer and inventor, specialising insuspensiondesign.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Alex Moulton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander Eric Moulton 9 April 1920 |
| Died | 9 December 2012(aged 92) |
| Education | Marlborough College |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge(BA) |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Employer(s) | Bristol Aeroplane Company Moulton Bicycle |
| Projects | Moulton Bicycle Hydrolastic |
| Awards | Queen's Award for Technical Innovation(1967) |
Early life and education
editMoulton's father,John Coney Moulton,was a naturalist working in the Far East. Alex Moulton was the great-grandson of the rubber pioneerStephen Moulton,the founder of the family business called George Spencer, Moulton & Co. Ltd, based atBradford-on-Avon,Wiltshire.
Moulton was educated atMarlborough Collegeand theUniversity of Cambridge[1]where he was an undergraduate atKing's College.[9]
Career
editDuring World War II he worked on engine design at theBristol Aeroplane Company.[1]After the war he joined the family company, which made rubber components such as suspension parts for railway carriages; he turned it towards rubber suspension systems for road vehicles.[10]
In the mid 1950s, Moulton developed an experimental rubber suspension which was tested on aMorris Minor.His friendAlec Issigonisheard of this work and together they designed a fluid and rubber suspension for a newAlviscar, which did not reach production.[10]Moulton also designed "Flexitor" rubber springs for the 1958Austin Gipsy,an off-road vehicle.[citation needed]
After the family business was acquired by theAvon Rubber Companyin 1956,[11]Moulton established Moulton Developments Limited to design the suspension system forBritish Motor Corporation's new small car, theMini,that was being designed by Issigonis.[10]The combination of conical rubber springs and small wheels was one of the many innovative developments that allowed Issigonis to achieve the Mini's small overall size. This was later refined into thehydrolasticandhydragassuspension systems used on laterBritish Leylandcars such as theAustin Maxi,Austin Allegro,PrincessandRover Metro,and later onRover Group'sMG Fsports car.[9]
Moulton also designed theMoulton bicycle,launched in 1962, again using rubber suspension and small wheels. A factory was built at Bradford-on-Avon, and Moulton Bicycles Ltd soon became the second-largest frame builder in the country.[12]
Awards and honours
editMoulton was appointedCommander of the British Empire(CBE) in the1976 New Year Honoursfor services to industry. Other honours include:
- The Diploma di Medaglia d'Oro, Milan in 1964
- Queen's Award for Technical Innovation1967
- AwardedHonorary degreesfrom theRoyal College of Art(1967),University of Bath(1971),Cranfield University(1994) andLoughborough University(2006)[13]
- Elected to the faculty ofRoyal Designers for Industry(1968), serving as master of the faculty from 1981 to 1983
- Elected aFellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering(FREng) in 1980[1]
- Served asVice-Presidentof the Royal Academy of Engineering from 1985 to 1988[citation needed]
- He has an entry in theGolden Book of Cycling,which he signed when he was 71[citation needed]
- In 1997 he was awarded theMisha Blackaward and was added to theCollege of Medallists[14]
Personal life
editMoulton lived atThe Hall, Bradford-on-Avona 17th-century mansion. He was a member ofBrooks'sgentlemen's clubin London.[1]
Moulton died on 9 December 2012 at theRoyal United Hospitalin Bath. His funeral, which was attended by 'Moultoneers' from all over the world, took place atHoly Trinity Church, Bradford-on-Avonon 19 December, after which he was interred in the family grave atChrist Churchin the same town beside his great-grandfather, Stephen Moulton, who founded the Moulton dynasty in the Wiltshire town in 1848.
Moulton never married, and had no immediate survivors.[15]
Legacy
editUnder Moulton's will, theGrade I listedHall – along with investments, land, outbuildings and cottages – was gifted to a charitable trust.[16]In 2020 the trust was reorganised as acharitable incorporated organisation,the Alex Moulton Charitable Trust,[17]which continues to preserve and maintain the Hall and its collections, and promote engineering and design.[16]
The Moulton Bicycle name has undergone several changes of ownership. Since 2008 the name has been used by a privately held company[18]which has a small modern factory just east of the Hall.
References
edit- ^abcdeAnon (2016)."Moulton, Alexander Eric".Who's Who(onlineOxford University Pressed.). Oxford: A & C Black.doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U28352.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^"ALEX MOULTON".moultontrust.org.
- ^Weber, Bruce (18 December 2012)."Alex Moulton, Creator of Quirky Small-Wheeled Bike, Dies at 92".The New York Times.Retrieved22 December2012.
- ^Nahum, Andrew (2012)."Alex Moulton obituary".The Guardian.London.Retrieved22 December2012.
- ^Anon (2012)."Alex Moulton Obituary".telegraph.co.uk.London:The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved22 December2012.
- ^"Dr Alex Moulton CBE 1920 – 2012".alexmoulton.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 25 November 2003.Retrieved22 December2012.
- ^"Dr Alex Moulton Dies".bikeradar.10 December 2012.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^Moulton, Alexander (2012).From Bristol to Bradford on Avon: A Lifetime in Engineering.The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust. p. 320.ISBN9781872922393.OCLC959551036.
- ^abFarrell, Dan (2020)."Alumni Profile: Dr Alex Moulton CBE – A Man of Conviction".eng.cam.ac.uk.University of Cambridge.Archived fromthe originalon 22 September 2020.
- ^abc"ALEX MOULTON".mgfcar.de.MiniWorld.Retrieved8 March2006.
- ^"George Spencer, Moulton and Co".Graces Guide.Retrieved7 May2022.
- ^"Moulton Bicycles".Graces Guide.Retrieved7 May2022.
- ^"Loughborough University Honorary Degree Oration presenting Dr. Moulton the degree ofDoctor of Technology,July 2006 ".lboro.ac.uk.
- ^"The Sir Misha Black Medal".Misha Black Awards. Archived fromthe originalon 29 December 2016.Retrieved29 April2014.
- ^Weber, Bruce (19 December 2012)."Alex Moulton, Creator of Quirky Small-Wheeled Bike, Dies at 92".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2 February2023.
- ^ab"The Alex Moulton Charitable Trust: Accounts and Trustees' Report".Charity Commission.31 December 2020. p. 1.Retrieved7 May2022.
- ^"The Alex Moulton Charitable Trust, registered charity no. 5151483".Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- ^"The Moulton Bicycle Company Limited".Companies House.Retrieved7 May2022.