08/06/2026
Did you know that the concept of the spare wheel often seen on cars was invented in Cymru?
If you have ever wondered why the spare wheel is often known as a "Stepney wheel" or just a "Stepney", it is because it was invented in Stepney Street, Llanelli (Carmarthenshire).
It was in 1895 when Morris and Walter Davies opened an ironmongery shop on Stepney Street. In those days, motor cars carried no spare tyres, which is rather impractical, so Morris Davies came up with the idea of a spokeless wheel rim attached with an inflatable tyre.
Just over a decade later in 1909, every taxi in London came attached with the device. The invention was so good, in fact, that it spread to the rest of the world.
Nowadays, a spare wheel remains known as a ‘stepney’ throughout much of the world.
(Image Credits: Casgliad y Werin Cymru/People's Collection Wales)
