| Collection |
MHS (unaccessioned) General |
| Description |
Hansom cab from the late 1880s or early 1900s. Purchased from unknown source for MHS collection. Is displayed with a full set of harness. Rebuilt by Gerard Smith of Kaikoura. Hansom cabs were used in London from 1823. They could turn in their own length, so were useful in city situations.
MHS minute book 1, page 105, dated 26 November 1956: "Old Horse Drawn Vehicles. Mr. Logan [committee member] agreed to enquire about Mr. Hobson's handsome(sic) cab."
MHS minute book10, page 25, dated 19 December 1988: "General Business. Mr. Tuckerman advised that the Horse & Cart rides had paid the $4,100 dollars and 28cents for the Hansome(sic) Cab."
Article [author unknown, date unknown] with the Hansom Cab.
"In the late 1800s, early 1900s, the Hansom Cab was the most widely used form of public transport throughout New Zealand. The name "Cab" was derived from the French name of "Cabriolet". The first Hansom Cab was built in 1823, and had a small window in the back which allowed communication with the driver who was positioned on a seat at the back of the vehicle. Fee paying passengers entered from the front and after modifications, communication with the driver was made through a hatch in the roof. The Hansom Cab was the Victorian taxi, which became a familiar sight and feature in all cities and a majority of towns throughout New Zealand. The last known Hansom Cab still operating in New Zealand was reported to be in Dunedin, when the driver finally retired in 1938. In past years a small number of Hansom Cabs operated in Blenheim and their hitching rail or taxi stand used to be very near where the Cleghorn Memorial Band Rotunda is on its original site in Market Square in the centre of the city(sic). Horse drawn vehicles like the Hansom Cab and the use of horses in New Zealand reached a peak in 1911 when it was recorded in the census that we had a total of 404,284 horses in our Country. In this Photograph (see image 5) even big floods like this one in Greymouth could not stop the Hansom Cab and its driver from operating."
|
| Year Range from |
1885 |
| Year range to |
1905 |
| Object ID |
0000.800.0816 |
| Object Name |
Cab |
| People |
Tuckerman, Bert Francis
Logan, Mr.
Hobson, Mr. |
|
