Stage-coach and mail in days of yore - a picturesque history of the coaching age (1903) (14782532575)

Identifier: stagecoachmailin01harp (find matches)
Title: Stage-coach and mail in days of yore : a picturesque history of the coaching age
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Harper, Charles G. (Charles George), 1863-1943
Subjects: Horses Coaching (Transportation) -- History
Publisher: London : Chapman & Hall, limited
Contributing Library: Tufts University
Digitizing Sponsor: Tufts University and the National Science Foundation



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y hours. In1821 it left the Angel, Angel Street, St. Martins-le-Grand, at 3.30 p.m., and arrived at Sheffield at8 the next evening,—163J miles in 28^ hours, orat the rate of 5f miles an hour, including stops.In 1821 it started an hour later and arrived at thesame hour as before; and in 1827 was expeditedby another half-hour. That was very poortravelling, and it is not surprising that after 1827it is heard of no more. More strenuous rivalsusurped the route. Here we see that coach draAvn up in front of awayside hostelry,—the Eulls Head ^—at someunnamed spot. Let us not criticise the draAvingof it too narrowly, for the painting whence thisillustration was engraved was the work of thecoachman, Alfred Elliot. He Avas coachman first,and artist afterwards. Another result of competition Avas the gorgeouslivery a coach on a hotly contested route wouldassume, and the number of places it Avould pretendto serve. In the illustration of the Express London and Birmingham coach—represented in
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THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: 1800—1824 193 the act of leaving the Hen and Chickens, NewStreet, Birmingham, and reproduced from acurious contemporary painting executed on sheettin—an extraordinary numher of place-names areseen; some those of towns this coach could notpossibly have served. The explanation is that the Express made connections with other routes andbooked passengers for them, whom they set downat ascertained points to wait for the connectingcoach. This in itself, an early attempt at thethrough booking and junction system obtaining onraihvays, is evidence of the progress made towardsexact time-keeping in this era. De Quincey, as a mail-passenger, has ascornful passage reflecting upon the gold andcolour that adorned these stage-coaches, which,being furiously competitive, could not afford to bequiet and plain, like the mails. A tawdry thingfrom Birmingham, was his verdict upon the Tally-Ho or Highflyer, that overtook theHolyhead Mail between ShrcAvsbury and Oswestry. All flaun