A Hansom cab adding character to the filming of a costume drama.

Hansom cabs were light, fast and low-slung.

A Hansom cab on display in the Mossman Collection, Luton, England.

A Hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage first designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally known as the Hansom Safety Cab, its purpose was to combine speed with safety, with a low center of gravity that was essential for safe cornering. Cab is a shortening of cabriolet reflecting the design of the carriage. It replaced the hackney carriage as a vehicle for hire; with the introduction of clockwork mechanical taximeters to measure fares, the name became taxicab. Hansom cabs enjoyed immense popularity as they were fast, light enough to be pulled by a single horse, (making the journey cheaper than travelling in a larger four-wheel coach) and were agile enough to steer around horse-drawn vehicles in the notorious traffic jams of nineteenth-century London. Hansom cab and driver adding character to period filming. ... Hansom cab and driver adding character to period filming. ... A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambience of a particular era. ... Hansom cab, engraving, 3rd quarter 19th cent File links The following pages link to this file: Hansom cab Categories: Public domain art ... Hansom cab, engraving, 3rd quarter 19th cent File links The following pages link to this file: Hansom cab Categories: Public domain art ... Download high resolution version (800x654, 95 KB)A Hansom cab on display in the Mossman Collection, Luton. ... Download high resolution version (800x654, 95 KB)A Hansom cab on display in the Mossman Collection, Luton. ... Luton is a town and local government district in England, located 50km north of central London. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 nugget For other uses, see Horse (disambiguation). ... Tourists in a vis-a-vis, Prague The classic definition of a carriage is a four-wheeled horse-drawn private passenger vehicle with leaf springs (elliptical springs in the 19th century) or leather strapping for suspension, whether light, smart and fast or large and comfortable. ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A Hansom cab. ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Hinckley is a town in south-west Leicestershire, England. ... Leicestershire (abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... Original meaning A cabriolet was a light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a folding calash top, seating two persons behind the drivers box. ... In the United Kingdom, a hackney carriage is a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office in London (for the area within the M25 motorway) or by the local authority (shire district councils or authorities) in other parts of England and Wales, by the Scottish Executive in Scotland, and by... A vehicle for hire is a vehicle providing public transportation, which transports one or more passengers between locations of the passengers choice. ... A taximeter is a mechanical or electronic device installed in taxicabs, similar to a odometer, which calculates passenger fares based on a combination of distance travelled and waiting time. ... A London black cab (Hackney carriage. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) The 19th century lasted from 1801 to 1900 in the Gregorian calendar (using the Common Era system of year numbering). ...

The cab sat two passengers (three if squeezed in) and a driver who sat on a sprung seat behind the vehicle. The driver was able to keep an eye on his passengers via a glass porthole in the roof. The passengers were protected from the elements by the cab itself, as well as folding wooden partitions which enclosed their feet and legs, protecting their clothes from splashing mud. A brass two flap porthole A porthole is a type of small, circular window often found on ships, armored vehicles, submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft. ...

The Hansom Cab quickly spread to other cities in the United Kingdom, as well as continental European cities, particularly Paris, Berlin, and St Petersburg. The cab was introduced to the United States during the late 19th century, and was most commonly used in New York City. Contemporary illustrations even show hansom cabs on the streets of Sydney, Cairo, and Hong Kong. , The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, with the skyscrapers of La Défense business district 5 kilometres behind. ... (help· info) is the capital city and a single state of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... This article is about the Australian city. ... Cairo (Arabic: ‎ translit: ) is the capital city of Egypt (and previously the United Arab Republic) and has a metropolitan area population of approximately 15. ...

The cab enjoyed popularity in the United Kingdom until the 1920's, when cheap automobile transport and the construction of reliable mass-transport systems led to a decline in usage. An automobile is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own motor. ...

References

• Carriage Terminology: An Historical Dictionary by Donald H. Berkebile, Don H. Berkebile (1979) ISBN 0874741661
• A Dictionary of Horse Drawn Vehicles by D.J.M. Smith (1988)
• Looking at Carriages by Sallie Walrond (1992)

This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

External Links

• [1] The Sherlock Holmes Museum's Hansom Cab.