An Old Coachman's Chatter, with Some Practical Remarks on Driving

by Edward Corbett

At Doncaster (159 miles from London) less than a quarter of an hour divided the two vehicles after travelling all through the night and portion of the following day, a feat successfully performed that would make the hair of a modern South-Eastern Railway guard stand upon end. Indeed, tradition says that the up and down coaches nearly always "crossed" within a few yards of the same bridge. Even that northern metropolis, Newcastle, was treated with scant ceremony; as soon as fresh horses were attached and the mail bags exchanged, the coach went forward without pause, the next "stop and examine coach" after York being at Belford (near Berwick-upon-Tweed).

With the Edinburgh coach there were three halts only upon the road for refreshments, and these were liable to curtailment in heavy weather when any minutes had been lost on the way—at the ordinary stages the changes of horses being sometimes made in less than a minute.

The Glasgow coach, though over a considerably more uneven road, was slightly the quicker of the two, the rival distances by road being almost identical. This coach was not encumbered with heavy bags for the Highlands, and had the additional stimulus for the first dozen miles or so out of London of racing the Holyhead mail through Barnet. This celebrated mail made its "first stop" (other than for change of horses) at Birmingham, its second at Shrewsbury, its third at Corwen, and its fourth at Bangor. The speed of this mail was no less than nine and three-quarters miles an hour, or over ten miles if stoppages are taken into account.

At Shrewsbury five minutes only were allowed for refreshments, and the timing of this coach was so close that it was due there one minute before the beautiful, varied, and sonorous clocks of that proud borough struck the hour of noon (11.59 a.m.). At Wolverhampton it was timed to arrive also at one minute past the hour (9.1 a.m.), while the timepieces of the guards were checked once or twice on the road by special clocks, and the discrepancy, if any, taken note of in writing.

Another notable piece of "good running" was shown by the rival mails to Caermarthen, which reached there from town the following evening. The Gloucester coach arrived at eight o'clock (224 miles), and was followed at only half-an-hour's interval by the Bristol (238 miles) coming by a different road the whole journey, and having often to face a rough sea when transferring its passengers at Aust Passage, near Chepstow. This last mail was one of the quickest of all out of London; as far as Bristol it was expedited in 1837 to run at the speed of ten miles and three furlongs an hour, prior to which time it had to cede the palm to the celebrated Falmouth (or, as it was often miscalled, Devonport—confusing it with the Plymouth coach) Quicksilver mail. No doubt a higher speed still would have been attained in the winter months had these coaches not to include so much night work in their running.

It is very difficult, unless precise dates are attached, to give now the absolute distances travelled. Each year roads were straightened out and bends removed, gradients modified, or minor deviations to towns of less importance struck out. A list of such accelerations will be found in Mogg's edition of Paterson and of the principal ordinary routes traversed in Paterson, Leigh, or Cary.

What prospects the Coventry bicycle might have had before the arrival of the telegraph and railway epoch it is difficult to conjecture; but its speed must then have placed it in the first rank of means of locomotion.

1837. Scotch Mails. DOWN.

TO THURSO VIÂ EDINBURGH.
Miles	St. Martin's-le-Grand.		p.m.
	LONDON	dep.	8. 0	night
12½	Waltham Cross	arr.	9.25	——
22	Ware	"	10.26	——
35¼	Buckland	"	11.52	——
			a.m.
45½	Arrington	"	12.57	——
60	Huntingdon	"	2.30	——
65¼	Alconbury Hill	"	3. 3	——
72¼	Stilton	"	3.45	——
87	Stamford	"	5.15	——
95	Stretton	"	6. 3	day
108½	GRANTHAM	arr.	7.23	——
		dep.	8. 3	——
115¾	Long Bennington	arr.	8.53	——
122¼	Newark	"	9.30	——
132¾	Scarthing Moor	"	10.34	——
145½	Barnby Moor	"	11.49	——
			p.m.
155¼	Rossington Bridge	"	12.47	——
159½	Doncaster	"	1.12	——
166¼	Askerne	"	1.55	——
179¾	Selby	"	3.21	——
194	YORK	arr.	4.54	——
		dep.	5.34	——
207¼	Easingwold	arr.	6.54	night
218	Thirsk	"	7.58	——
227	Northallerton	"	8.52	——
243	Darlington	"	10.28	——
			a.m.	——
261½	Durham	"	12.23	——
276	Newcastle-on-Tyne	arr.	1.50	——
		dep.	1.53	——
290½	Morpeth	arr.	3.22	——
300½	Felton	"	4.23	——
309¾	Alnwick	"	5.17	——
324½	BELFORD	arr.	6.47	day
		dep.	7.17	——
339¾	Berwick-on-Tweed	arr.	8.47	——
353½	Houndswood	"	0. 9	——
369¼	Dunbar	"	11.41	——
			p.m.	——
380¼	Haddington	"	12.45	——
397¼	Edinburgh G.P.O.	"	2.23	——
	(Time on road 42 h. 23 m. Thequickest train time the journey has been performed in was on August 31,1888, when the King's Cross train arrived in 7h. 27m.)
444	Perth	arr.	9. 0	night
466	Dundee	"	11.15	——
			a.m.	——
534	Aberdeen	"	6.22	day
			p.m.	——
641	Iverness	"	8. 6	night
			a.m.	——
783	Thurso	"	8.10	day
TO GLASGOW.
Miles	St. Martin's-le-Grand.		p.m.
	LONDON	dep.	8. 0	night
11¼	Barnet	arr.	9.18	——
25¼	Welwyn	"	10.46	——
			a.m.	——
37½	Baldock	"	12. 6	——
46¾	Caldecot	"	1. 2	——
55¼	Eaton	"	1.55	——
65¾	Alconbury Church	"	2.59	——
75¼	Stilton	"	3.56	——
90	Stamford	"	5.28	——
98	Stretton	"	6.18	day
111½	GRANTHAM	arr.	7.40	——
		dep.	8.20	——
117½	Foston	arr.	8.56	——
125½	Newark	"	9.44	——
138½	Ollerton	"	11. 3	——
143	Worksop	"	11.52	——
			p.m.	——
151½	Bagley	"	12.40	——
159¾	Doncaster	"	1.26	——
174¼	Pontefract	"	2.53	——
∴ Change for Leedsand Wakefield
184¼	Aberford	arr.	3.52	——
∴ Change for Bradford
191¾	WETHERBY.	arr.	4.36	——
		dep.	5.11	——
∴ Change here for York
204	Boroughbridge	arr.	6.23	night
216	Leeming	"	7.35	——
227	Catterick Bridge	"	8.41	——
236	Foxhall	"	9.35	——
240½	Greta Bridge	"	10. 2	——
250½	New Spital	"	11.10	——
			a.m.	——
260	Brough	"	12.15	——
268	Appleby	"	1. 7	——
282	Penrith	"	2.28	——
293	Hesketh	"	3.23	——
Manchester Mail 3.0 p.m., reachesCarlisle G.P.O. 4.48 a.m.
303	CARLISLE G.P.O.	arr.	4.17	——
		dep.	5. 0	——
312¾	Gretna	arr..	5.55	——
322	Ecclefechan	"	6.48	day
332¾	Dunwoodie	"	7.49	——
342½	Beattock Bridge	"	8.42	——
361	Abington	"	10.26	——
370	Douglas Mill	"	11.18	——
376	Lesmahagow Bar.	"	bags dropped	——
			p.m.	——
387¼	Hamilton	"	12.57	——
397¾	GLASGOW G.P.O.	"	2. 0	——
(Time on road, 42 hours.)
1837. Irish Mails. DOWN.
TO KINGSTOWN VIÂ HOLYHEAD.
Miles	St. Martin's-le-Grand.		p.m.
	LONDON	dep.	8. 0	night
11¼	Harriet	arr.	——	——
20½	St. Albans	"	——	——
24½	Redbourne	"	10.44	——
33½	Dunstable	"	——	——
			a.m.	——
42¼	Brickhill	"	12.32	——
51¼	Stony Stratford	"	1.26	——
59	Towcester	"	2.12	——
71¼	Daventry	"	3.25	——
79	Dunchurch	"	4.11	——
90¼	Coventry	"	5.18	——
108½	BIRMINGHAM	arr.	7. 8	day
		dep.	7.43	——
116½	Wednesbury	arr.	8.28	——
122	Wolverhampton	"	9. 1	——
134½	Shiffnal	"	10.14	——
142¼	Heygate Junction.	"	10.59	——
144½	Wellington	"	11.20	——
152½	SHREWSBURY	arr.	11.59	——
			p.m.	——
		dep.	12. 4	——
161	Netcliffe	arr.	12.52	——
170½	Oswestry	"	1.45	——
176¼	Chirk	"	——	——
183	Llangollen	"	2.57	——
193¼	CORWEN	arr.	3.57	——
		dep.	4.25	——
199½	Tynant	arr.	5. 1	——
206¼	Cernioge	"	5.39	——
213½	"New Stables"	"	6.21	night
220¾	Capel Curig	"	7. 2	——
228¼	Tyn-y-maes	"	7.46	——
	BANGOR	arr.	8.20	——
		dep.	8.25	——
	Anglesea Ferry	arr.	8.43	——
	Here cross the Menai Straits at night by ferry until the opening of Telford's Suspension Bridge, in 1826.
	Mona Inn	arr.	9.43	——
259	Holyhead Post Office	arr.	10.55	——
		dep.
323	Kingstown	arr.
327	Dublin	"
	(Time onjourney, h. m. Present time onjourney, h. m.)
∴ It may be curious to note that the present trainmail service is under the liability of a penalty of £1 14s. foreach minute it is after time through any avoidable cause.
TO WATERFORD (P) VIÂ GLOUCESTER AND MILFORD.
Miles	St. Martin's-le-Grand.		p.m.
	LONDON	dep.	8. 0	night
12¼	Hounslow	arr.	9.20	——
19¾	Colnbrook	"	——	——
23¾	Slough	"	——	——
29	Maidenhead	"	11. 8	——
38¼	Henley-on-Thames	"	——	——
43	Nettlebed	"	——	——
			a.m.	——
61¼	OXFORD	arr.	2.38	——
		dep.	——	——
72¾	Witney	arr.	3.58	——
80	Burford	"	——	——
89¾	Northleach	"	5.43	——
97¼	Andoverford	"	——	day
102¾	CHELTENHAM	arr.	7. 3	——
12		dep.	——	——
112	GLOUCESTER	arr.	8. 0	——
12		dep.	——	——
129	Ross	arr.	10. 8	——
139	Monmouth	"	11.11	——
			p.m.	——
156	Abergavenny	"	12.53	——
176	Brecon	"	3. 1	——
197	Llandovery	"	5.22	——
224	Carmarthen	"	8. 0	night
	Haverfordwest	"
	Hubberston	"
∴ Compare the quicker relative time to Carmarthen madeby the Bristol mail immediately following, notwithstanding havingto cross the Bristol Channel.
TO WATERFORD (P) VIÂ BRISTOL AND PEMBROKE.
Miles	St. Martin's-le-Grand.		p.m.
	LONDON	dep.	8. 0	night
12¼	Hounslow	arr.	9.12	——
29	Maidenhead	"	10.50	——
	Reading	"	——	——
			a.m.	——
59	Newbury	"	1.41	——
	Marlborough	"	——	——
90	Calne	"	4.49	——
	Chippenham	"	——	——
109	Bath	"	6.32	day
122	BRISTOL	arr.	7.45	——
12		dep.	——	——
134	New Passage Ferry	arr.	9.12	——
	Newport	"	——	——
			p.m.	——
166	CARDIFF	"	12.53	——
	Cowbridge	"	——	——
	Neath	"	——	——
211	Swansea	"	5.18	——
238	Carmarthen	"	8.31	night
			a.m.	——
273	Hobbs Point	"	12.34	——
	Pembroke	"	1. 9	——

Western and Foreign Mails.—1837.—Up and Down.