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In the late 1600s, the word “Flying” was applied to new, faster coach services. Flying sounds modern but it had implied speed since Tudor times. Their secret was changing the horses from time to time along the route. Eventually the prefix “fly” came to signify this. There were “Flying” coaches and “fly-wagons” on the roads, and “fly-boats” on the canals. They were all faster than ordinary wagons and boats because they changed the horses rather than making the same animals work the entire distance.
An early example of a flying coach ran from Oxford to London in a single day. This seemingly impossible feat amazed people when it was first introduced. The date was Monday 3rd May, 1669
This is a written account of its first journey, entitled “The first day that the flying coach went from Oxford to London in one day!” No mention is made of changing the horses so we don’t know how long the stages were, but by not expecting the animals which left Oxford to work all the way to London, the coach could achieve 55 miles without an overnight stop.
An average speed of around 4½ mph. Double the usual speed of travel for passenger coach journeys. No wonder people were amazed!
Section 4:
The Coaches
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Anecdotes written by people who actually travelled on the coaches
The coachmen, the inns, the coach proprietors - they’re all here. Come in and meet them
Britain’s roads were pretty impassable for most of our history. Coach travel was very difficult until they improved
Wheeled transport evolved over many years. Find out how coaches developed
Sources and information about how I came to create this website
Home Page of the Coaching Website