Tilbury (carriage)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Tilbury is a light open two-wheeled carriage developed in the early nineteenth century by the London firm of coachbuilders in Mount Street,^[1]. A Tilbury rig is little more than a single "Tilbury seat"—the firm's characteristic spindle-backed seat with a curved padded backrest— mounted over a raked luggage boot, and fitted with a dashboard and mounting peg, all suspended on curved leaf springs above the single axle. Tilbury has large wheels for moving fast over rough roads. A Tilbury is fast, light, sporty and dangerous:

"A bad accident happened yesterday afternoon to M. Adolphe Fould, son of the Minister. He was seized with giddiness while driving his tilbury in the Champs Elysees and fell out of the vehicle. He was taken up senseless and conveyed to the Palace of the Exposition." — The London Times, 9 November 1857.

There is no connection with Tilbury in Essex.