Mail Coach - Science Museum, London, UK
N 51° 29.862 W 000° 10.442
30U E 696149 N 5708959
A mail coach from 1820 is on permanent display at the London Science Museum.
Waymark Code: WMX4NY
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/26/2017
Views: 4
The entrance is free and one can see many different vehicles.
Royal Mail Coach. Following the opening of the railway between London and York in October 1852, there was no longer a need for mail coaches on this route. Following its withdrawal as a mail coach, it was modified and used as a road coach. It was partially restored in the 1890s and the work was completed in the 1920s. Features of the standard design of a mail coach as seen in this example included provision for four passengers inside and three or four passengers outside; a seat for the guard at the rear; the locker attached to the rear of the coach roof containing the guard's blunderbuss; and the mail bag locker at the rear with the top opening.
The plaque reads:
This coach was used on the London to York mail coach route. Though subsequently modified, it is one of the few genuine survivors from the era of the mail coach, which began in 1784 and lasted until about 1838. By 1820 a coach could cover the 200 miles from York to London at an average speed of about 8 to 10 miles per hour by changing the teams of horses in stages of about 9 or 10 miles. Coaches like this represented a sophisticated technical development, being built to stand the shocks and wrenching of contemporary roads, though finely built and at a minimum weight.
Type and Quantity: 1
Opening Hours: Sunday
10AM–6PM
Monday
10AM–6PM
Tuesday
10AM–6PM
Wednesday
10AM–6PM
Thursday
10AM–6PM
Friday
10AM–6PM
Saturday
10AM–6PM
Admission Fee: no
On-line Documentation: [Web Link]
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