Hello Norris welcome back. In the UK the best known brand was the SAXON which was in common use in the late 30s. I gather (Mick can you confirm?) that Claud Butler continued the design for a short while after he bought out the rights to the "Saxon" name. In answer: Not sure but I think the Saxon split seat tube design was initially used only on their tandems in 1936. The singles or solos (terminology!) with this design first appeared in 1937. Saxon went tits up in 1939 the great Bill Bailey couldn't even save them. Claud Butler purchased Saxon sometime in 1939 and now is where it all becomes a little bit hazy. I thought that CB carried on making and selling the lugged split tubes as Saxon's and it wasn't until 1953 or thereabouts that he introduced the lugless (welded) CB Saxon which he made right up until the demise of Butler's. Is this correct?
In the early to mid 80s Condor made a prototype for one of their "sponsored" amateur riders, Martin Roach, who was a big name in time trialling at the time. Their design dispensed with any length of actual seat-tube and managed to link up at the seat-tube "collar" with twin top-tubes. It seemed unnecessarily complicated, but was very skillfully built.
Norris re: Martyn Roach yeah he spells it with a "Y" (sorry this ain't a knit pick). Martyn was a top British tester as you said. He was in the all conquering Hounslow & District Wheelers. There were so many greats in that club at that time. Just do a google search on the net and its mind boggling what they achieved, but for the life of me I can't remember that Condor, would love to see a picture. I can only remember seeing him on a conventional frame and I help marshal loads of time trials he rode in. Finally didn't the "Grubb" Twinlight have a split seat tube? Now there is a rarity!
Best wishes and did you manage to make room for a bottle of French plonk for me? Mick B. Hunts UK. P.S. Do you want a copy of Cycling with your frames in?
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Michael Francis Butler
michaelbutler@fastmail.fm