A practical treatise on coach-building historical and descriptive : $b Containing full information of the various trades and processes involved, with hints on the proper keeping of carriages, &c.Burgess, James W.
History
A practical treatise on coach-building historical and descriptive : $b Containing full information of the various trades and processes involved, with hints on the proper keeping of carriages, &c.
Burgess, James W.
Carriage and wagon making; Carriages and carts
The vehicle called the briska, or britchka, was introduced about 1818
from Austria. It was hung both upon C springs and elliptic springs,
and was made in various sizes for different requirements. It was
nearly straight along the bottom. The hind panel was ogee shaped, and
the front terminated in a square boot. There was a rumble behind, and
the back seat was fitted with a hood which could be raised or lowered
at pleasure, and the knees were covered by a folding knee flap. This
was an inconvenient vehicle for our climate, as only half the number
could be sheltered in wet weather that could be accommodated in dry.
It was very fashionable for a time, but died out about 1840.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.—Stanhope.]
The “Stanhope” takes its name from being first built to the order and
under the superintendence of the Hon. Fitzroy Stanhope, by Tilbury,
the builder of the vehicle bearing that name. It was shaped like
the old ribbed gig, but was hung upon four springs, two of which
were bolted between the shaft and axle, and the other two crossways,
parallel to the axle at either end of the body, and shackled to the
side springs. Stanhopes are an easy kind of vehicle, and do not rock
so much as other gigs behind a rough-trotting horse. At the same time
they are rather heavy, owing to the large amount of iron plating used
to strengthen the shafts, &c.
[Illustration: Fig. 6.—Tilbury.]
The “Tilbury” was very much like the Stanhope, but had no boot,
and like it was heavily plated with iron. It was hung by two elbow
springs in front, with leather braces to the shafts or front cross
bar, and behind by two elbow springs passing from beneath the seat
to a cross spring raised to the level of the back rail of the body
by three straight irons from the hind part of the cross bar. Later,
two more springs were added between the axletree and the shafts,
by scroll irons. The Tilbury was a very good-looking and durable
vehicle, but its weight took away the public favour, and it went out
of fashion about 1850. It was, however, adopted with great success by
Italy and other continental countries, where the roads are bad, and
solidity of construction is the first consideration.
Dog-carts and Tandem-carts are too well known to need description.
The former were so called from their being used for the conveyance
of sporting dogs, such as greyhounds or pointers, and the slats or
louvre arrangement of the sides was for the purpose of admitting air
to the animals; though scarcely ever used for this purpose now, the
original plan has been pretty closely adhered to, except that the
boot is considerably reduced and made to harmonise more with the
other parts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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