STAGE TRAVEL IN BRITAIN
Until late in the 1700s, most roads were rough tracks worn by hoof and wheel traffic. People traveled on horseback or on foot between towns since coach travel was impossible in all but the driest weather. Some rudimentary attempts at improving road surfaces had been undertaken on more heavily traveled roads. During cold or wet seasons, travel was sometimes impossible. Only within cities, where cobblestone streets were regularly maintained could wagons move with relative ease.
1706 - The First English Stage Route
A stage company was formed in 1706 to manage travel between York,
in northern England, and London in the south. These coaches were referred to as 'flying coaches' by the stage companies. Flying was more hype than reality. In 1734, one could
travel from Edinburgh, in Scotland, to London in no less than 10
days. It took another fifty years to reach the romantic vision of teams pulling coaches racing down the road with their manes and tails streaming. One hundred years later the same trip of 329 miles took only
42 ½ hours! The term "stagecoach" is derived from
the way these vehicles traveled, in segments or "stages"
of 15-20 miles in length. At a stage stop, horses would be changed
and travelers could refresh themselves. A traveler could stay and sleep for the night at
an inn and catch a later coach. In the early days of stage
travel the going was rough with ill prepared road surfaces that had been covered with rocks of very uneven size that often were simply pushed aside by traffic leaving deep ruts and mud holes in the road.
The coach body was suspended on leather straps, called thorough braces, to absorb some of the
road shock, but the vehicle must have swayed terribly. Travelers arrived at their destinations motion sick, muddy from getting out to push coaches out of mud holes, and exhausted by so long a time on the road. Weather, wrecks, and highwaymen made the stage trip something not to be undertaken lightly.
The Golden Age of Stagecoach Travel in Britain 1780 to 1840
The introduction of turnpike roads between 1750 and 1773 improved the quality of roads. Turnpike owners charged tolls for passage, and in return maintained the roads. The combined refinements in coach design, and in road construction and maintenance allowed the heavy coach horses to be replaced by teams of faster half-bred or pure Thoroughbred horses. The luxurious coaches of the wealthy pulled by warmblood horses or Thoroughbreds seemed to fly down the better roads at the unheard of speed of ten miles per hour. In 1784, John Palmer of Bath with the help of Prime Minister William Pitt, the Younger forced a reluctant Post Office to carry the Royal Mail by coach to and from London. This innovation earned Palmer the position of Postmaster-General. Carrying the mail by coach ended the era of the post-rider, who had the reputation of being intoxicated, unreliable, and frequently in league with or prey to highwaymen. The stage coaches continued business after the advent of the Mail coach. Stages, less regulated than the mail, offered alternate routes and different departure times. Stage coaches were usually brightly painted, named rather than numbered, and had the names of all stops painted on the coach body rather than just the ends of their route. Have you heard the childrens' nursery rhyme 'Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross'? A cock horse was a horse often a draft animal added on to a coach team to help them pull the coach up very steep hills. There is a rather steep hill at Banbury cross roads. The invention of better springs in 1804 made the coach ride far more comfortable.
Improving the Quality of Early Roads
John Loudon MacAdam lived (1756-1836). Born in Scotland, MacAdam was sent to live with his Uncle in America after the deaths of his parents. He was in America during the Revolution. He returned to Scotland in 1783 to research highway design. By 1810 he was publishing plans for improved roads. He was made Surveyor General for Bristol roads in 1815. MacAdam's specifications for a proper roadbed required that a foundation of earth, raised above surrounding ground, be built to ensure proper foundation drainage. The road was then covered with a layer of stones weighing no more than six ounces and no larger than two inches in diameter. The roadbed consisted of several layers of stones uniformly spread and rolled, with a depth of 15 inches at the center. MacAdam's roads were 20 feet wide, allowing the passage of vehicles from both directions at the same time. McAdam's roads were cheaper and easier to build. This system of road building called macadamization was generally adopted by 1823. Today, "MacAdam" is still a synonym for a hard-surfaced road.
Thomas Telford (1757-1834) developed a system of road building based on a trench laid with a foundation of heavy rock. The roadbed was then built up so that it was raised in the center to maintain drainage of the road surface. The top layer of the road consisted of a six inch layer of compacted stone broken very small. Telford was appointed resident engineer on the Shrewsbury to Holyhead road in 1816. Telford's roads woud stand up well even in marshy ground. The road included numerous bridges including the 579 foot span Menai bridge. It was the best road in England at the time.
Coaching Days Come to an End
Despite all these refinements, the mail coach was finally outrun by
the railroad. The era of the English coach was finished by 1840,
except in out-lying regions where railroad tracks had not been laid.
©D.W. This site last updated August 2000 by
David Wagoner
A stage company was formed in 1706 to manage travel between York,
in northern England, and London in the south. These coaches were referred to as 'flying coaches' by the stage companies. Flying was more hype than reality. In 1734, one could
travel from Edinburgh, in Scotland, to London in no less than 10
days. It took another fifty years to reach the romantic vision of teams pulling coaches racing down the road with their manes and tails streaming. One hundred years later the same trip of 329 miles took only
42 ½ hours! The term "stagecoach" is derived from
the way these vehicles traveled, in segments or "stages"
of 15-20 miles in length. At a stage stop, horses would be changed
and travelers could refresh themselves. A traveler could stay and sleep for the night at
an inn and catch a later coach. In the early days of stage
travel the going was rough with ill prepared road surfaces that had been covered with rocks of very uneven size that often were simply pushed aside by traffic leaving deep ruts and mud holes in the road. 
