The Duke of Beaufort Coach, Regent's Circus, Piccadilly. Reproduction.

by Shayer, J.

Reproduction print of the Duke of Beaufort Coach, starting from the Bull & Mouth, Western Coach Office (the start of the London to Brighton run), from an engraving by Charles Hunt after William J. Shayer. Published in 1841 by I.W. Laird.

The Bull and Mouth’s West End booking office was in Regent Street. As the quarter-cloths are being removed from the horses, a very smart coach is about to leave. This coach with its many ducal coronets could be assumed to be private, except for the numbered licence plate and the modest lettering BRIGHTON LONDON on the door. It is a commercial coach belonging to the Duke of Beaufort. First named Quicksilver and later Criterion, it was always on the fashionable Brighton road, driven by the Duke of Beaufort’s son, the Marquis of Worcester, depicted here on the box, holding the reins. The Criterion seems to have been in a class by itself, a licensed stage coach privately owned, horsed, and worked.

Early in the 19th century, better roads led to faster coaches and finer coach horses, and the aristocracy and gentry who were so fond of everything to do with horses, supplied their horses and ‘took the ribbons’ (drove the coaches), hoping sometimes to be able to make money. There were several well-born coachmen who drove with great panache on the Brighton run. The young and usually hard-up baronet, Sir St Vincent Cotton drove the famous Brighton Age professionally for a number of years with great distinction.

Spectacular vintage coaching print with slight age-discolouration and foxing. Page size is 30 x 51cm (15 x 20 inches). Image approx. 335 x 450cm (13 1/8 x 17 5/8 inches).