Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,811
Likes: 596
From: NJ, NYC, LI
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Okay, cool.
I agree that it's from the 50's, probably early 50's. Take a close look at your crank. Does it say Williams on it? If so, there is a date code on the back of each crank arm that will tell you when it was made.
I can't say much about how it was originally built up, but I can tell you the wheels are not original. An English bike of that vintage would have 32 spokes in the front wheel, 40 rear. I'm pretty sure your stem is original (and very nice).
Very likely the bike was originally a 3 speed with a Sturmey Archer AW hub and caliper brakes. Do you like riding it as a fixie? If not, you will definitely need brakes (I would recommend at least one brake either way) and I would consider going back to a 3-speed. It's a simple and elegant build. Of course that's my solution to everything, I like 3-speed hubs.