s Carriages and Coaches - Hull Museums Collections

Carriages and Coaches

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Coach, chariot, barouche, landau, cabriolet, britzschka, drag, victoria, and brougham, all names for different types of horse drawn vehicles of the middle and upper classes during the 19th century. Hull Museums has an important collection of all of the above vehicles on display at the Streetlife Museum. They represent an age of elegance and wealth that are rare survivals of their type. Here you will find an introduction to them and the world of carriage travel.

(image/jpeg) Drag or Park Coach

Although this drag carriage is a private coach, it bears a close resemblance to the road coaches that appeared during the late 19th century. By 1850 the railways had forced most stage coach operators out of business, but a decade later there was a revival of interest among coach enthusiasts. Some of these coaches operated on a regular basis, especially during the summer months when trips to the country and seaside were very popular. A drag coach seated ten passengers outside, as well as a guard and coachman, two less than a road coach which was slightly heavier and required a team of six horses. The main details of the drag carriage in the collection are the discreet carvings and leatherwork on the undercarriage, the large windows and quality interior trim. The one in the Hull Museums collection dates to 1860. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Victoria

The Victoria is a four wheeled carriage intended to be driven by a professional coachman, carrying two forward facing passengers. A folding hood covers the passenger seat only, and there are no doors. The carriage was intended to be used in good weather by ladies who were 'taking the air' in the park or to attend social calls. The example in the Streetlife collection is dated to 1880 and was made by the local company W. Harrison of Anlaby Road, Hull. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Brougham

A four wheeled closed carriage, these vehicles were introduced by Lord Brougham in 1839 and became popular with professionals and businessmen who required a less expensive form of transport than other carriages in use at the time, and also liked the extra comfort and visibility in comparison to an ordinary cab. It was driven by a coachman sat at the front, with one or two horses. Two and four seat versions were available and it was often supplied with two sets of wheels, one with iron tyres for tarmacadam roads, and rubber tyres for wooden paved city streets. A luggage basket could be fitted on the roof and the interiors were often fitted with clocks, mirrors, and a speaking tube to communicate with the coachman. This type of closed carriage was one of the most commonly seen on Britain's roads towards the end of the 19th century. The example in the Streetlife collection dates to 1880 and was made by Barker & Co., with the arms painted on the door meaning 'Loyal Yet Free'. It was used on the streets of Hull until 1930. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Chariots

The travelling chariot or private posting chariot was an expensive and luxurious means of travel used by the wealthy when long journeys were to be undertaken at speed. Rather than sharing a mail or stage coach with other people, the nobility preferred to use their own means of transport. The coachman's seat could be removed and luggage carried on the platform below, or on the roof of the carriage. Two or four horses could be used and these could be hired at inns along the route, although it was usual for the owners own horses to be used for the first one or two stages of the journey. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Barouche

The barouche was an open four-wheeled carriage. Early models, although heavy, were very popular because they were low to the ground and easy to climb into without a step. It demanded at least four to six strong horses to pull it along. Although primarily a fashionable summer vehicle, it did have a hood that could be pulled up to protect the passengers riding in the open carriage from rain. There was also a knee flap that could be used for further cover. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Landau

The Landau probably first appeared in England in the 1790s. It quickly gained in popularity because it was well suited to the changeable English weather, with the ability to be quickly converted from an open to closed carriage. The leather hood could be pulled over the two seats and the windows lifted from the body to create a closed cab. Early examples needed frequent greasing and blacking of the metal bars on the side of the hood which gave off an unpleasant smell, but the carriage remained popular throughout the 19th century. The example in the Streetlife collection bears the arms of the Chater-Fawsitt family, and dates to 1868. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Cabriolet

The cabriolet had much in common with the curricle, which it had succeeded as the vehicle to be seen in for the fashionable man about town. A two wheeled, one person vehicle, it was used in England from about 1810, refined and improved from a French design. The racy yet elegant lines of the cabriolet came reasonably priced, and the vertical sitting position for the driver allowed them an unobstructed forward view, whilst the hood gave excellent protection from the elements. It eventually went out of fashion, but was remembered as one of the fastest and stylish vehicles of the era. The example on display at the Streetlife Museum is dated to 1820 and bears the arms of Goldsmid. The maker is named as K. Goodall & Son. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Britzschka

This is a type of travelling carriage that originated in Eastern Europe. It first attracted attention in England when English delegates attended the Congress of Vienna in 1814, which resulted in some London coach builders, notably Hobson & Co. of Long Acre, building their own. The most attractive feature of the carriages was that it allowed passengers to recline full length during long journeys, and the hood could be raised in bad weather. Used mostly by the wealthy travelling to Europe on the Grand Tour or by government officials. A distinguishing feature is the straight lower line and the double carved lines (ogee curves) at either end of the body. The example in the Streetlife collection is dated to 1820 and was used by the Sykes family of Sledmere, East Yorkshire. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Coaches of the Nobility

The coaches and carriages of the nobility were designed to reflect the status of their owners. These families wanted to show off their wealth and position by advertising their own ancestral colours in the painted livery or their family motto's and crests on the doors and bodywork. Two fine examples in the collection of Hull Museums is the State Coach which bears the arms of Sir H. Readett-Bayley of Hunmanby, once Deputy Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire (below), and the Town Chariot of the Earl of Yarborough, Brocklesby Park, Lincolnshire (above), both dated to c.1860. They are richly decorated in the livery colours of the family, with padded, woven textile interiors, even on the ceiling and inside the doors. Each has a hammercloth cover over the coachman's seat at the front, again decorated with stitched ornamentation and tassels around the edges. #IMAGE# Of the two, the state coach was the more ornate, being reserved for civic ceremonies and driving to representations at the royal court. On these occasions the coachman and two footmen were in state livery which consisted of heavily braided velvet coats, knee breeches, white silk stockings and buckled shoes. They wore curled and powdered wigs with cocked hats for the footmen and a tricorn for the coachman. The footmen stood on a small platform at the back, while the coachman had control over the horses at the front.