'The Improved Street Railway Carriage' 1861.
Lithograph printed by Maclure, Macdonald and McGregor, showing a pair of the Street Railway Carriages patented by George Francis Train pasing the Marble Arch in London. Train, an American author and entrepreneur, introduced the first trams in Birkenhead in 1860 and London in 1861. The lines in London were laid in Bayswater, Victoria and Kennington, with the cars pulled by horses. Train's innovative mode of transport was not popular, partly because the design of rails used stood proud above the road surface if incorrectly laid, creating an obstacle to other types of road vehicle. The London lines were removed after only a few months. Trams did make a comeback, however, after the pasing of an Act of Parliament in 1870 permitting the laying of tramways in London.
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Welshpool Street Scene, Early Morning
This is a street scene was taken in the early morning in Welshpool (Y Trallwng), Wales. There are two old men talking on the corner of the street. In the distance a car is driving along the road.
'Pneumatiques Cuir Samson', poster, c 1910.
French poster printed by Kosuth & Cie, Paris, featuring a coloured lithograph of a naked man of strength testing a Samson pneumatic tyre. The invention of the pneumatic tyre by John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921) in 1888 revolutionised wheeled transport. Initially used on bicycles, the new tyres gave a much smoother, more comfortable ride. In 1895 the Michelin brothers, who later went on to become one of the foremost tyre manufacturers, completed the Paris-Bordeaux car race in a vehicle fitted with pneumatic tyres, getting through 22 inner tubes in the proces. In the early days of motoring, tyres were expensive and prone to puncturing, a problem made worse by the poor road surfaces of the time.
Unidentified Petrol Pumps
Photograph of petrol pumps outside Bollingbroke Automobile Co. Ltd. in Prestbury, Cheshire. The photograph was taken from the other side of the road, and signs to the car park, and to Wilmslow and Stockport can be seen. To the left and right of the image are houses.
Bridge Street towards Lower Bridge Street
This photograph is a view of Bridge Street, Chester, looking towards Lower Bridge Street. Two 17th century buildings are in the top left of the composition on Bridge street, one is a shop called The Creamery which was a tea shop and is advertising "Lyons tea" in the window. Further along the row there are shops with signs saying "R. W . Dunn- Chemist and Pharmacist" and next to this "Woodson". On the same side of the road is St Michael's Church which was later deconsecrated and turned into a Heritage Centre in 1975. The side of the road where Hardman has taken the image from there is a balcony which frames the rest of the composition. Along the road cars are parked. The style of these suggests this images was taken in the 1940s. The Hardmans had a second studio in Chester from 1938-1958.
Car on Forest Road
Photograph of Chambré Hardman's car parked on a wooded road. Hardman took a number of picture of the Daimler car in different surroundings.
Mersey Tunnel Dock Road Entrance
This shows the entrance to the Mersey tunnel from the Dock Road. Horses and carts, cars, and tramlines can be seen on the street. The overhead railway is visible in the bottom left of the composition, with an advertisement for 'Walkers Imperial Stout' on the railings.