Transportation during the Regency
There were no 'planes, trains or automobiles' in Regency days so the vast majority of the populace walked to their destinations.
If they could afford a horse, they rode:
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The heavy horse (above right) was the key to the myriad of carts, wagons, coaches and carriages in the Regency world. |
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The two coaches above are both Austrian. The Landau on the left dates from 1825; the Phaeton on the right is earlier dated to 1815 There are few Regency coaches extant. There were major changes in coach design in the mid-1800's and older coaches were rapidly discarded or altered to meet the new, more comfortable designs. Below is a useful illustration of coach basics, after the developmental of the elliptical spring. |
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A curricle |
A phaeton (detail from a Stubbs painting) |
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Two-wheeled carriages in woodcuts |
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A bretcha |
A landaulet |
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A light phaeton |
A travelling chariot |
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A coach and six |
A post chaise |
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A variety of carts, gigs, tilburies and whiskies were becoming available. Here on the left, a cocking cart, and on the right a curate-cart |
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| There were still venerable methods of transportation (left below) and those born of necessity (right below): | |
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A 'Bath' or invalid chair, forerunner of our modern wheelchair |
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| A 'sedan chair' carried by two 'chairmen' | |
| But the ingenious were always developing new methods of transporation. | |
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The 'hobby horse' or velocipede was a brand-new invention of the Regency. |
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And of course change was in the air. The future was fast approaching... |
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