Coach (carriage)

History

The coach was developed in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries, with early examples associated with the Hungarian town of Kocs. By the late 16th century coaches had spread across the continent and were adopted in England, where they became a standard vehicle for aristocratic travel.

Early coaches were suspended on leather straps called thoroughbraces, but from the 17th century onward a variety of steel-spring systems were introduced, improving vehicle stability and passenger comfort. By the 18th century, coaches were widely used for both private and public travel, including long-distance stagecoach services. In the 19th century, the term "coach" was also applied to railway carriages, and later to motorcoaches, reflecting the decline of horse-drawn vehicles with the rise of rail and road transport.

As commercial road-coaching declined in the 19th century, aristocratic drivers adopted the style and techniques of the old mail coach and road coaches for sport, purchasing the decommissioned vehicles and leading to the development of the private drag, a lighter coach built for recreational outings and driven four-in-hand.

Terminology

Kocs was the Hungarian post town in the 15th century onwards that gave its name to a fast light vehicle, which later spread across Europe. Therefore, the English word coach, the Spanish and Portuguese coche, the German Kutsche, the Slovak koč, Czech kočár, and Slovene kočija all probably derive from the Hungarian word "Kocsi", literally meaning "of Kocs".

Traveling by coach, or pleasure driving in a coach, is called coaching. The business of a coachman is to expertly direct and take all responsibility for a coach or carriage and its horses, their stabling, feeding and maintenance and the associated staff. A coachman holds a coachwhip with a long lash, and he might wear a box coat, a heavy overcoat with or without shoulder capes, in inclement weather. If driving a state coach, the coachman's seat would be covered with an ornamented fabric called a hammercloth. A guard on a horse-drawn coach is called a shooter. Instead of a coachman, a coach might be guided by postilion riders.

A coach might have a built-in compartment called a boot, used originally as a seat for the coachman and later for storage. A luggage case for the top of a coach is called an imperial; the top, roof or second-story compartment of a coach is also known as an imperial. The front and rear axles were connected by a main shaft called the perch or reach. A crossbar known as a splinter bar supported the springs.

A coach with four horses is a coach-and-four. A coach together with the horses, harness and attendants is a turnout. A cockhorse is an extra horse led behind a coach to be added to the hitch when an extra horse is needed in steep or hilly terrain.

A coach house is a special building for sheltering coaches, and a coaching inn or coaching house provided accommodation for travelers, and usually provided a change of horses and offered stabling.

Coach-building

Coach-building had reached a high degree of specialization in Britain by the middle of the 19th century. Separate branches of the trade dealt with the timber, iron, leather, brass and other materials used. And there were many minor specialists within each of these categories. The "body-makers" produced the body or vehicle itself, while the "carriage-makers" made the stronger timbers beneath and around the body. The timbers used included ash, beech, elm, oak, mahogany, pine, birch and larch. The tools and processes were similar to those used in cabinet-making, plus others specific to coach-making. Making the curved woodwork alone called for considerable skill. Making the iron axles, springs and other metal used was the work of the "coach-smith," one of the most highly paid classes of workmen in London. Lining the interior of the coach with leather and painting, trimming, and decorating the exterior required the work of specialist tradesmen. Building carts and wagons involved similar skills, but of a coarser kind.

Coach horses

A coach horse or coacher bred for drawing a coach is typically heavier than a saddle horse and exhibits good style and action. Breeds have included:

• Cleveland Bay
• Postier Breton: The lighter of the two subtypes of Breton
• German coach: large, rather coarse, harness horse; bay, brown or black in color.
• Hanoverian: developed by crossing heavy cold-blooded German horses with Thoroughbreds
• Holsteiner
• Oldenburger
• Percheron
• Yorkshire Coach Horse: large, strong, bay or brown; dark legs, mane and tail; derived largely from crossing Cleveland Bay horses with Thoroughbreds