Geoffrey Hewlett

The Coach Roads to Brighton Geoffrey Hewlett

Before motorways and bypasses, before the advent of cars and even trains, horse-drawn vehicles carried the British people all around the country. From pedlars to clerks to the Prince Regent himself, the old coach roads led the way, and while the coach traveller certainly made their journey in less comfort than today's car passenger, they also felt the benefits of a less altered landscape, the sound of birdsong and the scent of the breeze. Based on the author's detailed study of the coach roads and his own experiences of walking the length of each of them in turn, The Coach Roads to Brighton details the histories of each of the old routes from London to the coastal town of Brighton, telling the stories of the people, horses and vehicles that used them and the often shocking, inspiring and humorous anecdotes from the days when bridles chinked and carriage wheels raised dust as Regency England followed its prince to the seaside.