Pennycook boost for Kingswood

In the 18th century Kingswood was a small coal mining village where George Whitefield's open-air preaching greatly influenced John Wesley in the founding of Methodism. The construction of a number of chapels, Tabernacle and schools by Whitefield, Wesley, and their associates and followers is held to be one of the factors contributing to Kingswood's growth.
Coal mining first brought the Kingswood area to industrial prominence in the late 17th century.
The Douglas Motorcycle Company started making drain covers and lamp posts in but in 1907 the Kingswood company fitted a unique horizontal twin-cyclinder engine into a standard cycle frame.
The first model was primitive but by 1910 Douglas were racing and was the start of the company's 20-year domination of the sport. By 1923 Douglas motorcycles held 150 British and world records.