Neat Town Chariot

Description

Summary

This Town Chariot has a Salisbury boot and a hammer cloth. The body has a sword box at the back. There is a footman’s board at the back with footman’s holders. Painted green and black on the body with green undercarriage and yellow lining.  A travelling chariot was a privately owned post-chaise used for long journeys. Called a chariot because it transported two people on a single, forward-facing internal seat, set behind the doors. A coach was designed for four on two internal seats – a forward-facing seat behind the doors as in a chariot, but with a backward-facing seat opposite, set ahead of the doors. A travelling chariot was designed to be driven by postilions or post-boys. The carriage was directed by one or more postilions – men riding the horses pulling the carriage – rather than by a coachman sitting on a coach box which would obscure the travellers’ view. The postilions usually rode the horses on the left or near side. The pair of horses nearest the carriage was called the wheelers and the pair in front was called the leaders.