Here we are again, in the Victorian London of 19
th
century, still in our leisure walk together with Boz. Before this, we have seen
many interesting things in London, from
the amusements to
the streets andshops. Boz has also introduced us to some
interesting people from severaloccupations, back in the Victorian era. Today, I will accompany you in an
exciting Victorian London excursion, by four different means of transportation.
Of course, there are more than the four modes of transports at that time,
however I choose only them which were often mentioned in Charles Dickens’ Sketches
by Boz, from which I got the idea.
And ladies and gentlemen…let us know begin our excursion…
Hackney Coach
Hackney coach—hackney means horse for hire—is a four-wheeled
carriage having six seats and drawn by two horses you can hire (cab) in the 19
th
century. Hackney coaches were often the
discarded and outdated coaches of the nobility, often still bearing their faded
coats of arms. The hackney coaches were shabby with dirty interiors. They
operated out of inn yards and from coach stands located near main streets
[
source].
And here is how a hackney coach stand looks like, just as
Dickens illustrated in Sketches by Boz:
Cabriolet (Cab)
A two-wheeled, doorless, hooded, one-horse carriage; may
come from the French cabriole, an indication of its light, bounding motion. A
cabriolet can be driven by someone seated in the carriage. The design is
intended to accommodate two comfortably. The collapsible leather hood allows
passengers to enjoy sunny weather or shelter from rain. But the original
cabriolets were for a single passenger beside the driver and were a kind of
hooded chaise. Cabs were introduced into England in the 1820s from France, and they
quickly replaced hackney coaches.
There is an interesting thing about cab that Dickens wrote
in Sketches by Boz, something that only people at that era who experienced
being in a cab, who can described it just as Dickens did in a funny style that
made me laugh by just imagining it… J
“Some people object to
the exertion of getting into cabs, and others object to the difficulty of
getting out of them. (…) The getting into a cab is a very pretty and graceful
process, which, when well performed, is essentially melodramatic.
You single out a
particular cab, and dart swiftly towards it. One bound, and you are on the
first step; turn your body lightly round to the right, and you are on the
second; bend gracefully beneath the reins, working round to the left at the
same time, and you are in the cab.
The getting out of a
cab is, perhaps, rather more complicated in its theory, and a shade more
difficult n its execution. We have studied the subject a great deal, and we
think the best way is, to throw yourself out, and trust to chance for alighting
on your feet. If you make the driver alight first, and then throw yourself upon
him, you will find that he breaks your fall materially…”
Really, I think it’s only Dickens can do that! And I am just
wondering, whether the cab he illustrated is perhaps something like this? Can
you imagine yourself getting in and getting out of it? J
Omnibus
In 1829, drawing his inspiration from a new and successful
system in Paris, George Shillibeer launched the first regular omnibus service in
London, running from Paddington to Bank, via the Angel. They ran fixed routes and were pulled by
horses. From the beginning of 1832 the fiercely competitive omnibus companies
were authorised to stop for passengers anywhere on their licensed routes. Clusters
of people assembled on the routes waiting for buses at peak times; the
clusters, in turn, collected pick pockets. The omnibuses were designed to carry
12 or 15 passengers, but since more travelers meant more fares, people were
often squashed on board, again presenting opportunities for petty thieves. By
the 1880s, a circular staircase leading to the roof added more seating on
top. They carried 12 passengers inside
and 14 on top.
 |
the inside of an omnibus
‘Omnibus Life in London’ 1859 by William Maw Egley
|
Steamer
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a
ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically
driving propellers or paddlewheels. Until the arrival of railways from 1838
onwards, steamers steadily took over the role of the many sail and rowed
ferries, with at least 80 ferries by 1830 with routes from London to Gravesend
and Margate, and upstream to Richmond. By 1835, the Diamond Steam Packet
Company, one of several popular companies, reported that it had carried over
250,000 passengers in the year.
 |
| the Gravesend packet |
In the early 19th century, Gravesend was a favorite tourist
attraction for Londoners, with a very pleasant riverfront, which included a
beach, onto the busy Thames and a number of pleasure gardens, including
Windmill Hill, which offers unrivalled views of the estuary, and surrounding
countryside.
The first steamboat plied its trade between Gravesend and
London in the early 19th century, bringing with it a steadily increasing number
of visitors to The Terrace Pier Gardens, Windmill Hill, Springhead Gardens and
Rosherville Gardens. Gravesend soon became one of the first English resort
towns and thrived from an early tourist trade.
From Skecthes by Boz, I learned that water excursion by
steamer is one of Londoners favourites to do on Sundays. Sometimes they also
have a water party in one of the steamers. There would be a band who played the
music on the deck, a place for dancing, or some game for pleasures. The
pastrycook’s men would be there earlier to prepare the dinner or lunch table in
the cabin for all the guests. This is perhaps one of the water parties at
Victorian era looks like…
And this is where our whole lovely excursion in 19th
century London together with Boz must be ended L.
I only hope you have enjoyed
it, as well as the four others previously:
