Spider Phaeton, Ingestre

Description:Made by Holmes of Derby and London, this Spider Phaeton comes from the collection of the 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot of Ingestre Hall and has several unusual features. It is a substantial phaeton with a very wide groom’s seat and two mounting steps. This indicates that the carriage carried two grooms and implies the use of four horses. The Earl of Shrewsbury’s crest is engraved on the axle caps where normally only the builders name would appear.

The unusual forecarriage on this Spider Phaeton suggests it may have been built for the 20th Earl’s planned road race with the Earl of Lonsdale, Hugh Lowther in 1891. The Earl of Lonsdale was a keen sportsman, and is most famous for boxing which is where the Lonsdale brand name comes from. He challenged the Earl of Shrewsbury to a 20 mile race on which he wagered £100. The match was due to take place on the road between Melton Mowbray and Leicester. Apparently the Earl of Shrewsbury refused to ride on the day because he thought the conditions of the road were too dangerous. However the newspapers reported he had been insulted by something Lord Lonsdale had said! The Earl of Shrewsbury forfeited the race and ended up paying the £100 when the Earl of Lonsdale managed to complete the challenge in 56 minutes.

Spider phaetons were light and stylish and were almost entirely used for park and show ring driving. They were usually drawn by a pair and were ideal for showing off fine well bred horses. The equivalent of today’s nippy little sports car! Made by Holmes of Derby and London, this Spider Phaeton comes from the collection of the 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and has several unusual features. It is a substantial phaeton with a very wide groom’s seat and two mounting steps. This indicates that the carriage carried two grooms and implies the use of four horses. The Earl of Shrewsbury’s crest is engraved on the axle caps where normally only the builders name would appear.

This horse-drawn carriage is from the Staffordshire County Museum collection. You can find out more about the Spider Phaeton and see 3D imaging that you can rotate and zoom in to explore detail at the Staffordshire Carriage Collection website: http://www.staffordshirecarriages.org.uk/spider-phaeton/