Hints On Driving - Softcover

C. S. Ward

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0371341574 ISBN 13: 9780371341575

Publisher: HardPress, 2019

Synopsis

"Hints On Driving" by C. S. Ward. Hints On Driving is a nineteenth-century manual and memoir by Ward, the well-known “Whip of the West” who ran Paxton Stables in London. In it he recounts a life spent on the box, from learning the craft under his father—a coach proprietor and coachman—to driving major mail coaches on long night runs, including the Norwich and Ipswich Mail, His Majesty’s Mail, the Quicksilver, and the Exeter Telegraph. He describes the era when the railway began to shrink the coaching trade, the rivalries between coaches, and the practical skills required to drive four horses safely and stylishly. The book blends autobiography with instruction, presenting eight rules on team selection, mounting, seating, turning, descending hills, hand position, uniformity of draught, and the proper use of the whip. Ward emphasizes humane handling, patience, and mastery over the reins, rather than brute force. The volume also contains anecdotes from fog-bound nights, minor mishaps, and reminiscences about the fading world of coaching, including The Last Dying Speech of the Coachmen from Beam Bridge. Published in 1870, it offers a vivid portrait of a vanished profession.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0371341574
• ISBN 13: 9780371341575
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 36