Wagonette

Dimensions

Height: 6ft 6 1/2"

Length: 9ft 4"

Width: 5ft 8"

Full description

A very good example of an informal varnished Wagonette with lower side boards in ash incorporating boot sides, the rest of the body is English walnut. The main seat boards overhand the body sides by 6” and the upper panels and the seat backs, splayed in profile and in section, have beautifully worked steam-bent bends. There are two ash battens with no mouldings on the upper panels to break up their height, one on the bottom and one just above the middle. The ends of the panels of walnut louvres in the boot sides are curved so that they are parallel to the profile of the boot. The seats are 4’4” long to seat six in reasonable comfort and have leather covered rails. Single seat rails surround the coachman’s seat.

The door is hung on a lower butt hinge and an upper extended butt hinge, with a brass T bar handle on the outside and a brass bow handle inside. An oval grid pattern step is at door. Jags are worked on the outer stock hoops of the front wheels and oval steps with a diamond pattern are situated at the ends of the transom.

Wagonette lamps (cylindrical bodies with dial fronts) with a brass trim are with this carriage, in conventional sockets. The patent no. 2070 is stamped on the ferrules, these with the sockets have been drilled so that the lamps can be bolted in place. The candle holder caps are missing. Threaded collars have been fitted in their place and their holes at the bottom of the candle holders, implying that these lamps have been electrified.

The wheels are 14 and 16 spoke Warner wheels with bent half rims and grey wired on rubber tyres on collinge patent axles. The front axle is compassed up, and the back compassed down. The Wagonette is sprung on elliptic springs in front and side springs with double compass behind. The side springs are mounted on straight angular scroll irons. The fore carriage consists of iron components except a very nicely moulded wood capping on the axle bed, wood felloe pieces and wood splinter bar, which is level with its jaws, instead of being mounted above them in the usual way. The associated pole has a crab fitting. This Wagonette is fitted with a rolling bar brake with a long handle that follows the outline of the wheel arch and the boot. A curved brake rack bolted to the offside of the boot.

For the paintwork the body, wheels and all wood components are varnished, with a broad brown line centred with very fine white line on the wheel rims, spokes, splinter bar, axle bed capping and the two battens on the upper body panels. Most of the metal components are painted black, and similarly lined to the body. The pole was repainted in 1960 with incorrect lining. Trevelyan crest on the upper body panels and the top panel of the door.

Leather straps to secure folded apron are on the back of the dashboard. The coachman’s leather apron is in store but not inspected and recorded. An enamelled leather whip socket is fitted to the side of the coachman's seat. The driving box seat is covered with inferior dark blue wool cloth (new). A Dark blue broad cloth seat fall on leather-cloth backing, edged with plain dark blue worsted broad lace with white stripe each side is original as is the white pyramid rubber mat on foot board and front floor.

The interior seats cushions are plastic foam mounted on plywood boards and covered with inferior dark blue wool cloth, with similar seat falls (all new). They would originally have been loose cushions without a wooden base. A similar cloth, edged with furnishing braids is used as a lining between the upper body panels and the foam-filled seat backs (all new). There is a shallow pocket with a closing flap made of dark blue broadcloth on a black leather cloth backing at the front of the body and the curved panel beneath it (the back of the arch panel) is covered with floor cloth with a stencilled design in black and white on a moss green ground, which gives the effect of woven split cane. The shelves beneath the seats are covered with coarse brown cloth. There is a black ribbed rubber mat on the floor (new)

Inscriptions

On the axles caps: Hy ANGUS & CO.  NEWCASTLE on TYNE

Stamped on both seat boards in the body, the front edge of the coachman’s seat board and on the pole:  5189

On the outside edge of the offside front tyre: THE IDEAL TYRE

On the ferrules of lamps: Patent no. 2070 

Condition report

The body is in very good condition. There is a wide split (maximum approx. 5mm) from the edge of the louvres to the front of the boot on the offside, and a very short split (30mm) from the bottom of the nearside louvres. Of the 16 steam-bent corners, only one has any grain that has split and lifted.  It is at the top of the seat back in the back offside corner. There are very slight splits in the floorboards.The door opens freely.  It has sagged very slightly because the top butt plate on the door is very slightly loos

The front tyres are slightly worn, but the edges are damaged, with many small sections of rubber missing.  The back tyres are heavily worn with edges more damaged, and more rubber missing. The paint and varnish is sound and secure with a few local small losses, particularly on the offside front wheel. The leather serving on the seat rail is in good condition except on the top of the nearside front corner where a section approx. 60mm long has worn and is missing. The surfaces of the enamelled leather of the valance and the leather “panels” below the seat backs have cracked and gathered in the characteristic “islands and rivers”.  The “panels” have much insect damage for the whole length on the nearside and the back corner of the offside.

The coachman’s cushion and seat fall are sound but the broad lace is badly frayed on the offside. There is much moth damage to the cloth on the seat cushions in the body and slight damage on the nearside back rest.

Access information

This Single Brougham is in the care of the National Trust at Wallington House.

Wallington House

Cambo, 

near Morpeth, 

Northumberland, 

NE61 4AR

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

Picture credit

National Trust / Donald Bovill & Susan McCormack