Coffeebreak007 stagecoaching gb
Stagecoaching in England. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Stagecoaching in England. Cambridge to Oxford.
112 miles in 12 hours by Charles E. Bolton. From a model village of Holmes and other papers. LibriVox Coffee Break Collection No. 7. in merry england the upper classes certainly know how to have pleasure during the winter months the twenty thousand members of the three hundred clubs hunt not less than four days a week within a few years the old custom of coaching which steam had forced to the rear has been brought forward as one of the most delightful summer amusements
one of the charming sights of london in may is the turn-out of fifty or more elaborate drags of the four-in-hand and coaching clubs royalty nobility and gentry furnish the membership in addition a score of stage-coaches owned and driven by gentlemen make daily excursions into the beautiful and historic suburbs of the city foremost of these is the defiance coach which runs tri-weekly between the great universities via london captain carleton v blythe is sole proprietor and having travelled widely in america in his tour around the world he knows how generously to anticipate the wants of those in search of genuine recreation fifty thousand dollars is invested in swift roadsters one to the mile and in holland's famous coaches models of style while waiting at cambridge for the time of departure our two hours walk led us through the majestic quadrangles of trinity and st john's colleges across the graceful bridges that span the classic cam under the grateful shade of long rows of stately elms and fragrant limes and back into king's chapel built three centuries ago by the henrys
its fourteen immense windows of exquisitely painted glass fill the eye with beauty portions of bible history are written in the hues of the rainbow by the earnest hand of faith the pillars and slender shafts all tending upward appear to lose themselves in the boss network of ribs and fan tracery which strengthen and define the lofty vaulted roof of stone standing in silence the heart is elevated in prayer to god and fresh inspiration the evident idea of the builder is ours the defiance had accommodations for twelve passengers outside and four inside besides seats for the driver and guard we booked for the last seat a sovereign each it being hobson's choice the passengers included fellows of the colleges and tourists from america and london the box seat beside the driver was given to a stylish lady the guard wearing a scarlet coat with gilt trimmings blew a long brass horn and as the clock struck nine captain blythe gathered the reins well in hand and we were off
hundreds gathered at bull's hotel bidding us good-bye and down king's parade we went rapidly passing st peter's pembroke and corpus christi colleges and upon leaving the famed city the spirited horses broke into a gallop developing a speed that was rare enjoyment for those who believe in fast driving the first six miles to harston were made in just thirty-five minutes where our heated team was quickly changed for four fresh bays and we pushed on toward london the roads were heavy from frequent rains but without ruts for the romans centuries ago taught the englishmen how to keep them smooth the year round hard limestone broken small is kept at convenient distances and every indication of where is immediately repaired excitement quickened acquaintance and the passengers talked and joked on innumerable subjects as an american we naturally sympathize with the tenant farmer whose first five dollars per acre and more of his scanty income must go to the non-producing landowner his buildings with thatched roofs and children poorly clad spoke plainly of pinching poverty the rainfall since march first five months had been nearly twenty inches
his meadows were flooded and fields of unripe wheat barley and oats were everywhere badly lodged haying sixty days behind america was not half finished an englishman said all went right while providence managed the weather but since the americans have taken it in hand they have sent us only beastly storms so enormous are the importations of produce and meats from america and they are constantly increasing that the english farmer need not expect any great future profit from agriculture free trade to be consistent must also advocate free land otherwise entailment may wreck the english empire in less than three hours we rode twenty-eight miles through royston where king james i had a hunting lodge out of cambridgeshire into hertford county and on to wade's mill where we gladly halted for a ten-minute lunch americans accustomed to leave on their office door gone to dinner return in five minutes did ample justice to hot mutton joint c
much to the surprise of englishmen who require a full hour passing ware and edmonton we are reminded of the ludicrous ride of cooper's john gilpin from london on his wedding day at waltham we came to one of several crosses which edward i erected to commemorate the worth of his beautiful queen eleanor she died in twelve ninety at harley and a cross was built wherever the sad procession stopped en route to westminster abbey the seventh stage or relay brought us to tottenham high cross and four beautiful greys carried us ten miles south through the suburbs into london pretty villas and cottages line the roads their unique architecture giving exquisite effect as ivy virginia creeper or roses partially or entirely cover walls roofs and chimneys we began to feel the throb of the mighty metropolis as the mellow notes of the horn cleared the crowded streets while we hurried through camden town portland place and regent street as big ben in the parliament tower struck three we turned into piccadilly and pulled up at hatchett's famous white horse hotel with half our journey made after a twenty-minute lunch and several changes in our passenger list
four sleek black horses took us westward past the marble arch and along hyde park and kensington gardens over the bayswater road and out of middlesex county into buckinghamshire surely no country in the world affords so many lovely landscape views the grass of the british isles is always fresh and green the lawns having a peculiar velvety softness the foliage of elm ash beech oak lime and sycamore scattered everywhere most artistically is rich in quantity and colour the evergreen hawthorn and holly white with blossom in springtime and red with berries in the fall enclose luxuriant crops and pasturage the pastures abound in groups of pretty sheep some with black faces and feet others with long curly fleeces also choicest breeds of cattle the white and red shading into each other in every conceivable variety we no longer wonder at rosa bonheur's intense love for domestic animals ivy and moss cover the homes of rich and poor alike and characteristic spires and antique towers spring constantly into view making the ride in any direction extremely picturesque
the barley fields were all aglow with the scarlet poppy intermixed the daisies which wordsworth loved and an occasional scottish bluebell beautified the roadside approaching gerard cross we drove through fields brighton with the tiny purple heather before the twilight ended which in summer continues in england till after nine o'clock we had passed on our left the immense estates of the duke of somerset lord carrington and lady dashwood on our left lay the country seat of lord beaconsfield men women and children in nearly thirty villages had now cheered on the defiance and driving into tetsworth the people sang out you are late captain yes i know it he replied hurry up the horses and lanterns we have yet twelve miles to make in sixty minutes already fifty-six horses had done their work in less than three minutes the fresh animals were on the gallop the brakes were put on but down-grade they ran their steel corked shoes striking fire while the sparks flashed from the friction on the wheels six miles were scored in twenty-five minutes
the last four of the sixty-four horses were at their task the darkness of a starlight night requiring frequent blasts of the horn to keep the road clear made the race into oxford most exciting this was the one hundred and twenty ninth trip of the season and the defiance had not yet been a minute late the ambitious horses were now crowded to their utmost passengers clung to their seats and hats and held their breath while the horn announced our coming high street reached we fairly flew past all souls and queen's colleges ahead the streets were crowded with a thousand anxious citizens as the clock in full sight on the old tower of st mary's church struck nine we came to a stop in front of the mitre hotel and the enthusiastic crowd gave hearty cheers for the success of english coaching captain blythe was ably assisted in driving by a special coachman edwin fowms and the genial guard henry cracknell both experienced in coaching and their fathers as well the defiance coach makes over fifteen thousand miles for the season
general putnam's ride may have been more dangerous horace greeley's down the sierra nevadas around more sharp curves lady godiva's more embarrassing but no ride could be more enjoyable than ours from cambridge to oxford end of stagecoaching in england by charles e bolton
