Heritage Commercials Magazine - capturing the spirit of vintage days

Transport heritage: Postal pioneer

With the 19th century drawing to a close, Royal Mail started to look at new forms of transport to deliver the post. In 1897, it began issuing safety bicycles to postmen and also took delivery of its first steam powered van. Royal Mail also decided to hold trials to see if the new-fangled internal combustion engined horseless carriage would be of any use to it. And one of these trials would actually take place in Lincolnshire.

Concern had been raised that there would be no postal service to the then fashionable Woodhall Spa health resort on Christmas Day 1899, due to the absence of a train service. The Lincoln postmaster, Mr T Walker, thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do a trial delivery by motor vehicle to the spa and the surrounding area. The final destination chosen was the village of New York near Boston, solely for the attention grabbing headline of there having been a Royal Mail road delivery service from Lincoln to New York!

The motor engineering company of Gilbert & Son of Lincoln was approached, and it agreed to supply a suitable vehicle. This company, which had been formed in 1876, was the sole Lincolnshire agent for the Coventry made Daimler, and so it supplied an 1897 Daimler 5½hp Rougemont waggonette. Gilbert’s had actually borrowed this vehicle from Daimler enthusiast Frank Morris of King’s Lynn.

Surprisingly, it was reported at the time that it had already covered in excess of 50,000 miles. Given the state of the roads of the day and the primitive nature of the vehicle, this was an achievement in itself! However, it is far more likely that this quoted mileage was actually a reporting error, but perhaps we will never know.

Incidentally, Mr Morris became such an expert on the Daimler marque that in later years he actually ended up looking after the King’s Daimlers at Sandringham.

When Christmas Day 1899 finally arrived the Daimler was loaded with half a ton of mail and left Lincoln at 7.40am, driven by Mr Gilbert himself, with post office employee Mr Alex Taylor in charge of the mail.

The first stop was Washingborough, which was reached in 13 minutes. After unloading they then travelled through Heighington Fen to Five Mile Ferry. Here they had to drive down a steep bank on to the ferry, a feat so fraught with danger it was apparently accomplished in silent awe. After a successful crossing the post for Fiskerton was dropped off at 8.35am, and they then continued to Bardney, via Short Ferry. The route was then to Southrey, Bucknall and Stixwould before finally arriving at Woodhall Spa at 10am. They then continued to Kirkstead and Martin Dales, before coming back through Woodhall Spa to Tattershall.

The next call was Coningsby, where a huge crowd had assembled to see the ‘spectacle’. From here the Daimler travelled to Dogdyke, Chapel Hill and Holland Fen and finally reached New York at 11.20am. The total distance travelled was 34 miles in a time of three hours and 40 minutes, which was 40 minutes ahead of schedule. The intrepid crew were then treated to Christmas dinner by Mr Toll, the New York postmaster.

The return journey involved collections at Tattershall, Coningsby, Tattershall Bridge, Walcot and Metheringham, and they finally arrived back in Lincoln at 6.45pm. The average speed for the journey was found to be 10mph, and the Daimler was judged as having successfully done the work of five horse-drawn vehicles.

Thanks to Gordon Brooks for supplying the information and Eric Croft for the postcard which shows the start of this epic journey.

Words: Stephen Pullen  Photography: Eric Croft Collection