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Brougham (carriage)

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The original 1838 Brougham prototype at the London Science Museum.[1]
Brougham c. 1890
Brougham (1900)
Brougham

A brougham[a] is a 19th century four-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse. It was named after the politician and jurist Lord Brougham, who had this type of carriage built to his specification by London coachbuilder Robinson & Cook in 1838.

Description

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The brougham has an enclosed body with two doors and sits two passengers; there are two fold-away seats in the front corners for small children. It has a box seat in front for a coachman plus one footman or passenger. The carriage body has a front window so that the passengers can see forward. The carriage is mounted on elliptical springs with small front wheels which can go under the carriage to turn sharply.[3][4][5]: 23 [6]: 49–50 [b]

Features specific to the brougham include:[3]

  • the absence of a perch (a supporting pole connecting the front and rear axles); the spring hangers were mounted directly to the body structure, saving weight and lowering the floor, to ease entry
  • a sharply squared end of the roof at the back,
  • a body line curving forward at the base of the enclosure, and
  • low entry to the enclosure, using only one outside step below the door.

A variant, called a brougham-landaulet, has a top collapsible from the rear doors backward.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Pronounced /ˈbru(ə)m/ BROO-əm or /ˈbr(ə)m/ BROH-əm.[2]
  2. ^ The OED gives a first usage in 1851, but the original design dates from about 1838, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica. Brougham died in 1868.

References

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  1. ^ "Prototype of the Brougham carriage". London Science Museum. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  2. ^ "brougham". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b Haajanen, Lennart W. (2007). Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles. McFarland & Company. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9780786437375. LCCN 2002014546. OL 9550033M.
  4. ^ Stratton, Ezra (1878). World on Wheels. New York: Bloom. p. 376. ISBN 0-405-09006-4. OL 7004294M. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  5. ^ Smith, D.J.M. (1988). A Dictionary of Horse Drawn Vehicles. J. A. Allen & Co. Ltd. ISBN 0851314686. OL 11597864M.
  6. ^ Walrond, Sallie (1979). The Encyclopaedia of Driving. Country Life Books. ISBN 0600331822. OL 4175648M.
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