DON’T MISS – THIS MONTH
Issue 115 – December 2016
SLEIGH BELLS AND MOTORS
By Stephen Guy
Travel is often difficult around Christmas and New Year as winter’s icy grip takes hold at airports, on railways and particularly roads. The 19th century saw spectacular growth in new travel technologies from steam power to the internal combustion engine. Throughout this period roads were dominated by horses. At Christmas and other special occasions some horse-drawn vehicles were decorated with festive garlands. Jangling sleigh bells were also used on carriages heading for Christmas festivities. Most horses could get though snow although hills might prove difficult. Coachmen sometimes had to lead their horses on foot over difficult icy stretches. Until the 1950s Santa Claus might use a carriage instead of his sledge when fundraising or visiting hospitals, for example. Horses needed stables for rest and shelter. Those connected to big houses often survive,
converted to garages or housing. Sudley House stables (pictured) were among the last to be built in Liverpool. Ship owner George Holt made numerous improvements to the property when he bought it in the 1880s. The red-brick stables are among the finest Victorian examples that survive. A hayloft, reached by stairs, is over the arched entrance. Hay was hauled in through a wooden door. At about this time German engineer Karl Benz (1844 – 1929) patented what is considered to be the first practical, road-worthy car. A talented inventor, Benz first developed a two-stroke engine in the late 1870s. His backers refused to finance a vehicle so he set up a separate company. Benz’s first motor, one of the earliest petrol fuelled vehicles, was completed in 1885. The three-wheeler looked more like a horse-drawn carriage. There was a handle rather than a steering wheel. Like modern cars it had electric ignition and a water-
Christmas is a double treat for Jorgie
– page 9
Win, Win, win
Two family tickets to see Aladdin to be won
– see inside
Christmas grottos: here’s our Santa super six
– see inside
cooled internal combustion engine. It chugged along at a steady 8mph. The Motorwagen, as it was called, went on sale to the general public in 1888. It had no gears and had to be pushed or pulled up hills. It could not cope with snow-covered roads yet within just a decade or two this awkward contraption heralded a change in the way
people travelled forever. Cars started to be seen regularly on British roads from the 1890s. By 1930 even most ardent traditionalists had replaced their horse-drawn carriages with shiny new cars. n Learn more about the history of Liverpool at the Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, open 10 am to 5 pm every day, admission free.
The Snowflake Trail (why Liverpool’s guaranteed snow this Christmas)
– see inside
Deck the halls – make a wreath
– see inside
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL AT THE LINK