Brougham (carriage)

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

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 brougham-landaulet is a variation with a collapsible top, rearward of the doors.

See also

• Coupé (carriage): any type of four-wheeled coach where two passengers sit on a forward-facing bench
• Brougham (car body), inspired by the brougham carriage
• Clarence (carriage), larger version of the Brougham
• Carriage
• Horse-drawn vehicle

Notes

1. Pronounced /ˈbru(ə)m/ BROO-əm or /ˈbroʊ(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

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. 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.

External links

• 1871 Advertisement for William Kilross & Sons and Kinross Brougham Illustrations and text
• CAAOnline: Carriage Tour Carriage Association of America. Illustration and text
• Horse Drawn Brougham, The Henry Ford. Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan. Photo and text.
• The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages, Stony Brook, New York: Collection Database. Search brougham; illustrations and text.