This is the Ardrishaig Belle, a 'charabanc' meaning wagon with seats. we were told this was built around 1890 and used up till the 1950's.
as we were having a guided tour we were allowed in the basement to see stored items. unfortunatley my camera did not cope well with the low lighting so most pictures blurry. in storage was this very stoutly built small wagon.
also in the basement some interesting harness
carriage builders left their trade marks on the brass in the centreof the spoked wheels. this is from the wheel centre of the charabanc, saying 'Mitchell, Builder, Dunoon'
this is from the wheel centre of a cab, saying 'Stoneham,Bedford Street, London, N.W.'
much clearer, 'Laurie, Paisley'
and 'James Barrie, Rodney Street, Glasgow'
also 'James Barrie, Rodney Street Glasgow', this one on the hefty wagon which said John Barrie.there was very little information about the carriages, where they came from, what they were used for, who the builders were. this is information sadly lost in time, and the museum is looking for any information if anyone has it.
5 comments:
Fantastic field trip, Claire! A little like going back in time. Thanks for letting us tag along.
wish they would have let us loose on the boxes in the basement, all sorts of treasures!
Boy the buggy been around a lot longer then the automoblie
It was great to see these gorgeous old carriages. I liked seeing the names of the builders. It's sad that so much of their history has been lost!
Some of those photos are great despite the problem of low light you mention, including some of those wheel centres.
Did you know that here in my provine of Alberta we have North America's largest carriage museum? If you ever come to Alberta in Canada, please try to visit ... here is their online home:
http://www.remingtoncarriagemuseum.com/
Thanks for sharing this enjoyable trip to Scotland!
Diane at Sand to Glass
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