26 THE BRIGHTON ROAD 



Christmas, 1808, seven and a half per cent, on the 

 capital invested, besides purchasing the interest of 

 four of the partners in the concern In this last year 

 two new businesses were started, those of Waldegrave 

 & Co., and Pattenden & Co. Fares now ruled high — 

 23s. inside ; 13,9. outside. 



The year 1809 marked the beginning of a new and 

 strenuous coaching era on this road. Then Crossweller 

 & Co. commenced to run their " morning and night " 

 coaches, and William " Miller " Bradford formed his 

 company. This was an association of twelve members, 

 contributing £100 each, for the purpose of establishing 

 a ' double ' coach— that is to say, one up and one 

 down, each dav. The idea was to " lick creation ' 

 on the Brighton Road by accelerating the speed, and 

 to this end they acquired some forty-five horses then 

 sold out of the Inniskilling Dragoons, at that time 

 stationed at Brighton. On May Day, 1810, the 

 Brighton Mail was re-established. These " Royal 

 Night Mail Coaches ' as they were grandiloquently 

 announced, were started by arrangement with the 

 Postmaster-General. The speed, although much 

 improved, was not yet so very great, eight hours being 

 occupied on the way, although these coaches went by 

 what was then the new cut via Croydon. Like the 

 Dover, Hastings, and Portsmouth mails, the Brighton 

 Mail was two -horsed. It ran to and from the 

 ' Blossoms ' Inn, Lawrence Lane, Cheapside, and 

 never attained a better performance than 7 hours 

 20 minutes, a speed of 1\ miles an hour. It had, 

 however, this distinction, if it may so be called : it 

 was the slowest mail in the kingdom. 



It was on June 25th, 1810, that an accident befell 

 Waldegrave's " Accommodation " coach on its up 

 iournev. Near Brixton Causewav its hind wheels 

 collapsed, owing to the heavy weight of the loaded 

 vehicle. Bv one of those strange chances when truth 

 appears stranger than fiction, there chanced to be a 

 farmer's waggon passing the coach at the instant of 

 its overturning. Into it were shot the " outsiders," 



