Mail carriages were used in Britain between 1780 and 1830, carrying mail and a few passengers. They were faster than stagecoaches, but uncomfortable due to bad roads and weather. The Post Office owned the carriages, which had guards to protect the mail. The carriages reduced travel time by not stopping at official stops. Mail carriages were replaced by trains.
A mail carriage is a carriage specially designed to carry mail and a small number of paying passengers. These carriages were historically used most extensively in Britain, and for only a very short period of time, between 1780 and 1830. Such carriages differed from stagecoaches, which made journeys in stages with periodic rests; a stagecoach was more expensive, but also much faster than a stagecoach, making it a form of express delivery.
The British Post Office owned its own mail carriages and provided guards for them. The contractors provided teams of four horses and riders. Four passengers could sit inside the coach, with three more in front with the driver, while the guard stood at the rear to guard mail and packages on the coach.
In many cases, a postal stagecoach would not even stop at official stops; instead, the mail was knocked down, with the outgoing mail hung from a pole so the guard could easily grab it and stow it on the coach. This significantly reduced travel time, although inns suffered because the lack of an official port of call reduced the potential income of hungry or tired passengers.
Traveling by this method would have been quick, but often inconvenient. Though the carriages were sturdy and padded, they often traveled on atrocious roads, subjecting the passengers to extreme shocks, and even traversed severe weather conditions, regardless of the comfort of the passengers. However, the speed and convenience were often worth it, in the eyes of hurried passengers.
Before the introduction of the mail carriage, mail was carried by riders traveling from stop to stop. These couriers were often vulnerable to robbery because they had limited self-defense options. While the bus concept was resisted at first, the Post Office eventually realized that there were significant benefits, such as the ability to generate more revenue through passengers and oversized packages.
With the advent of the locomotive and rail transport, the mail carriage was quickly abandoned. Transporting mail by train had clear advantages that made mail cars obsolete. However, several examples of these coaches have been preserved in museums, for people interested in seeing what they looked like, and it is also possible to travel in a replica coach, for those wanting a personal experience.
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