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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780752484846 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 02/29/2012 |
| Series: | Story |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 342 KB |
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The Black Cab Story
By Alf Townsend
The History Press
Copyright © 2014 Alf Townsend,All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-8484-6
CHAPTER 1
THE BEGINNING
Even as early as in the reign of Edward V (1461–83), bylaws were drawn up in the interests of Hackneymen.
Then in 1654 an ordinance by Oliver Cromwell called 'The Regulation of Hackney Coachmen in London' was introduced basically to lay down the pattern for every subsequent Act of Parliament concerning Hackney carriage vehicles right up to the present day. The original ordinance even included the journey limit of 6 miles – which was doubled recently by former London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Many people, including many taxi drivers, believed this 6-mile limit was to ensure that the poor old horse didn't get too tired. But in fact it was linked to London's chain of defences that had been erected during the Civil War in 1642. These defences were approximately 6 miles from the City and Westminster and it was deemed as 'dangerous' for Hackney coaches to pass through. The Lord Protector was indeed the founding father of London's taxi trade!
A century before, a massive conflict of interests came about between the watermen and the rising number of Hackney coaches that were fast becoming popular. The watermen – or water taxis – had plied their trade since Anglo-Saxon times and a Royal Charter in the twelfth century gave them the right to ply for hire. They had always enjoyed a lucrative living ferrying wealthy City merchants over to the gaming houses and stews (brothels) on Bankside; then bringing them back late in the night absolutely 'legless'.
Did you know?
The word 'Hackney' derives from the Flemish term 'haquené' – a dappled grey horse which originally came from Flanders. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the London borough of the same name.
Even such luminaries as Sir Christopher Wren took a water taxi daily from his home next to the Globe Theatre on Bankside, across the river to where he was building his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral.
However, suddenly the watermen's lucrative living was being jeopardised – not only by the new bridges being built, but by the many businesses that were transferring to the City area. The watermen's formerly regular clientele were now sharing Hackneys from Westminster on the north side at a cheaper rate than on the boats. Not only was it cheaper, but after the building of London Bridge, it was much safer. The bridge had been constructed with many narrow arches and the watermen had to 'shoot the rapids' to get through!
This bitter and sometimes violent conflict lasted a full fifteen years, with the water men having powerful allies. One such person was John Taylor, a former boatman and staunch supporter of the watermen. He wrote the following verse to rouse them:
'Coaches, Garroaches, Jades and Flanders Mares, do rob us of our fares, our wares and our tares; while we stand and click our heels, all our profit runs away on wheels'
The ever-expanding size of London eventually spelled the end for the watermen. The very first 'cab rank' was established by a Captain Bailey, a retired mariner, in 1635. Apart from dressing the drivers of his four Hackney coaches in livery and instructing them what fares to charge, most important of all, he brought them out of the courtyards and inns where they had formerly stood to be hired, then placed them one behind the other, close to the Maypole in The Strand. This rank soon attracted the attention of other hackney coachmen who flocked there seeking work. It became so popular that the modern-day cabbies still adopt the very same practice of driving slowly along a street, waiting for a space on a fully-loaded rank. This practice was very prevalent in the 'bad' old days at Heathrow Airport.
'No hackneyman shall breke another's hyre' [which in effect means don't nick another cabbie's fare!]
The Revd Mr Garrod, commenting on these events in a letter to Lord Strafford wrote, 'Everybody is much pleased by it, for whereas coaches could be had at great rates, now a man can hail one much cheaper.'
In 1636, because of the proliferation of Hackney coaches (and possibly because of the deal he had made in 1630 with a Sir Saunders Duncombe, who hired out sedan chairs), Charles I issued a proclamation restricting the number of Hackney coaches to just fifty – and they were only allowed to pick up passengers who were travelling more than 3 miles. This confirmed suspicions that the king was acting in his own interests because this proclamation gave Sedan chairs a virtual monopoly on the short fares! But within two years, 'because the public wanted them,' the Hackney coaches were working very much as before.
CHAPTER 2THE FOLLOWING 200 YEARS
Despite considerable competition from sedan chairs in the early years, the Hackney coaches became ever more powerful and influential. Parliament became more and more involved with the Hackney carriages and between 1711 and 1798 some twenty-four Acts of Parliament were passed dealing specifically with the trade. From 1662 until 1831 'apart from the years 1679 to 1683' all London's public road passenger vehicles were controlled by the Commissioners at the Hackney Coach Office in Scotland Yard and drivers were not licensed until 1843.
Did you know?
The taxi rate of a shilling a mile first started when Charles II passed an Act for the better control of the coachmen in 1662. This 'shilling a mile' fare was not to be exceeded until 1950!
But too many coaches were being licensed and from 1694 up until 1815 the numbers had almost doubled to 1,200. The eighteenth century saw various Acts being passed for the limitation of the number of Hackney coaches and brought a degree of prosperity to the Hackney coachmen.
An Act of 1869 gave the Commissioner of Police other new duties to Hackney Carriages and Omnibuses. It stated the manner in which the carriages were to be fitted and furnished; the regulation of the number of persons to be carried, as well as the fixing of cab ranks, the fixing of fares and the safe custody of any property found in the vehicles.
The Hackney Coach Office was based at various addresses over the years, but as it got bigger so it required a purpose-built permanent home. This was erected in Lambeth Road in 1927 and the name was changed to the Public Carriage Office. This building existed for almost forty years until a modern new complex was opened in Penton Street, N1, in 1966. Penton Street closed at the end of 2007 and all taxi inspections were then outsourced to a private company.
In between times the evolution of cab designs was becoming significant. In 1814 the introduction of 200 'Chariots' proved to be very popular and in 1823 a Mr David Davies designed the 'Cabriolet'. Twelve of these entered service and they became so popular that by 1834 their numbers had risen to 800. The Cabriolets have been immortalised in the following verse:
'In days of old when folks got tired, a Hackney Coach or a Chariot was hired; but now along the streets they roll yea, in a shay, with a cover, called a Cabriolet.'
Did you know?
The French word 'cabriolet' was shortened to 'cab' and that's what we have called them ever since!
In December 1834, Joseph Hansom of Hinckley, Leicestershire, registered his Patent Safety Cab – but sold it on for £10,000 before it was manufactured. Other designers recognised defects in Hansom's cab and devised improvements which were to make this vehicle probably the most famous cab of all. In 1873, Henry Forder of Wolverhampton introduced the straight axle by cutting away the body of the cab under the passenger's seat at an angle, sloping to the floor where the passenger's feet rested. He also raised the driver's seat 7ft off the ground. The driver's weight, counterbalanced by the shafts, gave a perfectly balanced vehicle capable of reaching a heady speed of 17mph!
Did you know?
Because of the heavy congestion of London's streets, the modern London taxi's average speed is lower than the 17mph reached by the Hansom cab!
For the next fifty years, up until the advent of the first motor cab in the late nineteenth century, the Hansom cab and the Clarence, or 'Growler' as it was affectionately known (because of the noise it made on the cobbles), reigned supreme. It was the same David Davies, designer of the popular Cabriolet in 1823, who introduced the enclosed, four-wheeled Clarence in 1836. The growler was the plodding carriage carrying lots of luggage while the Hansom was the flyer!
Did you know?
An Act of Parliament in 1784 gave the Hackney carriage trade the sole right to use their coaches as 'hearses and mourning coaches at funerals'. An Act of 1853 gave complete control of the London Cab Trade to the Commissioner of Police and duly upset a feature writer in The Times, who wrote, 'no one person should have such absolute power.'
THE CABMEN'S SHELTERS
Tourists roaming the streets of London will invariably come across one of these little green huts, looking for all the world like miniature cricket pavilions, or even sheds used by the gardeners in the Royal Parks. They must ask themselves, what on earth can they be? They are in fact the famous cabmen's shelters where cabbies go to eat, meet their mates and spin a few yarns. The shelters have been around for more than a hundred years. Their long history makes for interesting reading and is a classic example of the two-faced morals and double-edged benevolence of the Victorians who seemingly accepted hardship and poverty as the norm.
The London cabmen in those far-off days worked under appalling conditions and were expected to 'sit on the box' in rain, snow, cold and wind, waiting for a fare. It's no wonder many of them found solace from the foul weather by nipping into the local grog shop and fortifying themselves with mugs of hot cocoa – with an added nip of rum of course!
Did you know?
The old shelter in Leicester Square, donated by English actor and theatre manager Sir Squire Bancroft in 1901, was put on a lorry when the square was pedestrianised and re-sited in Russell Square where it still stands today.
The story goes that in January 1875 a certain Captain Armstrong, editor of the Globe newspaper, who lived in St John's Wood, sent his manservant out into the blizzard that was raging at the time, to engage a cab to take him to his office in Fleet Street. Returning a full hour later with a cab, soaked to the skin, the good captain enquired of his servant why he had been so long. He was told that although there were cabs on the rank, all the cabmen had retired to a nearby grog shop to get out of the blizzard.
Captain Armstrong spoke with many of his influential friends about the fact that cabmen had nowhere to shelter from the elements. They all sympathised with the cabmen's plight and decided to donate money for the erection of a shelter adjacent to the cab rank in Acacia Road, St John's Wood – very convenient for the good captain! And so was born the London Cabmen's Shelter Fund. Many wealthy and influential people, including the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, subscribed to the fund. One shelter, erected in Old Palace Yard, Westminster, was paid for by Members of both Houses of Parliament, the impressive list of subscribers reading like a page from Debrett's Peerage!
Between 1875 and 1950, some forty-seven shelters were erected in London – all funded by a number of prominent citizens. At first the shelters had no provision for supplying meals; but by 1882 larger shelters were erected, which included a small kitchen so hot meals and drinks could be provided by the shelter-keeper. Sadly, owing to new one-way streets and road changes, many shelters were pulled down and their numbers have declined to just thirteen. But these remaining shelters have become Grade II listed buildings and are now refurbished by English Heritage, so they will live on! Many of the well known personalities of the day often frequented the cab shelters. Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous explorer, was a regular visitor to the old shelter which originally stood at Hyde Park Corner. Prior to his last and tragic expedition, where he died at sea, the regulars presented him with a set of pipes and a pipe rack. His letter of thanks to them hung proudly on the shelter wall for many years until it was pulled down to make way for the new Piccadilly Underpass.
Many of these shelters have nicknames as well such as 'The All Nations', almost opposite the Royal Albert Hall. This got its nickname from the Great Exhibition in 1850. Then you have 'The Bell and Horns' in the middle of the road in Thurloe Place, South Kensington, and named after an old pub opposite. 'The Chapel' is in St John's Wood, while 'The Temple' is in Temple Place on the Embankment. 'The Pier', on the river by the Albert Bridge, has just been repaired after taking a direct hit from a huge lorry!
VICTORIAN CABBIES
The following excerpt from a Government White Paper of 1895 entitled, 'The Cab and Omnibus Trades', makes for interesting reading.
The cabman's trade is one to which all sorts of men find their way. Many an educated man, who can do nothing else to earn a living, can drive – and if put to it, will seek his daily bread in this way. In the strike of 1891, it was by a man of University education that the books were kept. Cabmen have plenty of opportunity for reading the daily papers, for discussions amongst themselves, and as a result are generally up to date in general information, and often keen politicians, many being members of Radical clubs. It is these men, one hears, who are the most conservative of all on trade questions. Many again, are prominent in their temperance or religious views, and one cabman is well known as a secularist lecturer on Sunday in the parks. By constant contact with all kinds of people cabmen become very observant and often know more about those they drive than the latter imagine. Moreover, a certain confidence is reposed in their discretion and many a doubtful piece of business is transacted under their eyes – not indeed that there would be such evidence as would even warrant them making their suspicions known, but about which they have little doubt in their own minds. The relations between the cabmen and the public they drive are, on the whole, very pleasant and if at times they become otherwise the fault is not always confined to the side of the cabmen.
HEALTH
The Cab and Omnibus Trades' White Paper went on to talk about the general medical condition of cabbies:
The principal diseases from which cabmen suffer, namely rheumatism, bronchitis and chest complaints generally, are those due to exposure to the weather. These diseases are aggravated by indulgence in strong drink, a habit which, as already indicated, is prevalent, although there are, on the other hand, not a few abstainers and a flourishing temperance society among their members. It must, however, be said that the publicity to which the men are exposed, and the fear of having their licences endorsed, prevent a good deal of excess. A cabman may drink, but he must on no account get drunk. The mortality returns, so far as they can be applied to this trade, do not give it a favourable position for longevity.
Cut out the bit about the booze and hardly anything has changed for over a hundred years or more – has it?
CHAPTER 3THE DEMISE OF HORSE-DRAWN CABS
In 1897 probably the very first mechanically propelled cab in the world arrived on the streets of London. The Bersey electric-powered vehicle was a monstrous two-seater coupé, weighing 14 cwt and propelled by forty accumulator cells carried in a tray under the body that could propel the cabs for around 40 miles before it having to be recharged. They had a top speed of just 9mph. Despite replacing them the following year with a supposedly updated version capable of a top speed of 12mph, the Berseys were removed from service soon after because they kept breaking down and the cabbies refused to drive them.
Did you know?
The Bersey was known affectionately by the cockney cabbies as 'The 'Umming Bird' because of the sound it made.
In 1903 the first internal combustion engine cab, the Prunel, appeared. Other well-known manufacturers soon followed and by the end of 1906 makes such as Vauxhall, Ford, Herald, Rational, Argyll, Unic, Brasier, Marple, Pullcar and Humber had been licensed. New Conditions of Fitness for motor cabs were introduced in the same year and the fate of the horse-drawn cabs was sealed.
Did you know?
The very last horse-drawn Hackney carriage licence was surrendered on 3 April 1947.
In 1903 there were over 11,000 horse-drawn cabs on the streets of London, 7,449 Hansom cabs and 3,905 Growlers. Within the short space of ten years leading up to the First World War, the number of Hansom cabs were reduced to 386 with just 1,547 Growlers remaining. Despite the Hansom cab being the most popular vehicle ever used by the cab trade, its days were numbered and within a decade these wonderfully designed vehicles were being broken up for firewood and sold at one shilling a bag!
Did you know?
Rear-view mirrors in London taxis became a legal requirement as late as 1968. Even then they were secured firmly to the bulkhead and couldn't be adjusted. It was alleged that the authorities didn't want nefarious cabbies ogling the legs of their lady passengers! The guys used to joke that the mirrors were perfect for spotting low-flying planes and pigeons!
The arrival of 500 Renaults in March 1907, operated by the General Motor Cab Co. Ltd, set the scene for a fierce debate and the company was severely criticised for 'going foreign'. This was the largest single order placed at that time anywhere in the world for a motor vehicle. The two-seater Renaults were virtually the same as those working in Paris and were fitted with a two-cylinder, 8-9hp engine and three-speed gearbox. But 'the London General' had invested heavily and they didn't want to be screwed by the wily cabbies. They refused to put their fleet of Renaults on the road until taximeters were made compulsory. French-built taxis were now dominating the London market. After the Renaults, there followed Unics, Darracqs, De Dion-Boutons, Brouhots and Vinots.
It's strange to relate, but some fifty years later Welbeck Motors launched their fleet of red Renault Dauphine mini-cabs on to the streets of London and very nearly destroyed the historic London taxi trade (by unlawfully touting on the streets) in one fell swoop!
Did you know?
Taximeters were not made compulsory until late 1907.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Black Cab Story by Alf Townsend. Copyright © 2014 Alf Townsend,. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,The Beginning,
The Following 200 Years,
The Demise of the Horse-Drawn Cabs,
Between the Two World Wars,
London Taxis at War – and After,
Heathrow Cabbies,
From the Early 1960s to the Present Day,
The Future of the Famous London Cabbie – and his Iconic Cab!,
Acknowledgements,