The Brighton road : the classic highway to the south . y their visit. But though the tripper of the coaching era foundit impracticable to have his morning in London, hisday upon the Kings Road, and his evening in townagain, yet the pace at which the coaches went in the30s was by no means despicable. Ten miles an hournow became slow and altogether behind the age. In 1833 the Marquis of Worcester, together with aMr. Alexander, put three coaches on the road : an upand down Quicksilver and a single coach, the Wonder. The Quicksilver, named probably inallusion to its swiftness (it was timed for fou
The Brighton road : the classic highway to the south . y their visit. But though the tripper of the coaching era foundit impracticable to have his morning in London, hisday upon the Kings Road, and his evening in townagain, yet the pace at which the coaches went in the30s was by no means despicable. Ten miles an hournow became slow and altogether behind the age. In 1833 the Marquis of Worcester, together with aMr. Alexander, put three coaches on the road : an upand down Quicksilver and a single coach, the Wonder. The Quicksilver, named probably inallusion to its swiftness (it was timed for four hoursand three-quarters), ran to and from what was then afavourite stopping-place, the Elephant and on July 15th of the same year an accident, bywhich several persons were very seriously injured,happened to the up Quicksilver when startingfrom Brighton. Snow, who was driving, could nothold the team in, and they bolted away, and broughtup violently against the railings by the New arms, fractured arms and ribs, and contusions. COACHING RECORDS 41 were plenty. The Quicksilver, chameleon-like,changed colour after this mishap, was repainted andrenamed, and reappeared as the Criterion ; for theold name carried with it too great a spice of dangerfor the timorous. On February 4th, 1834, the Criterion, driven byCharles Harbour, outstripping the old performancesof the Vivid, and beating the previous wonderfullyquick journey of the Red Rover, carried downKing Williams Speech on the opening of Parliamentin 3 hours and 40 minutes, a coach record that has notbeen surpassed, nor quite equalled, on this road, noteven by Selby on his great drive of July 13th, 1888,his times being out and in respectively, 3 hours 56minutes, and 3 hours 54 minutes. Then again, onanother road, on May Day, 1830, the IndependentTally-ho, running from London to Birmingham,covered those 109 miles in 7 hours 39 minutes, a betterrecord than Selbys London to Brighton and backdrive by eleven min
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjecthorses, bookyear1922
