The Hansom Cab: The Victorian Uber!

In The Lost Heir (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1), Jake and Derek race through the streets of London in a hansom cab—the Victorian version of a taxi! But just how fast were they really going? Hold onto your top hats... because it might not be as thrilling as you think! 🎩😆

Designed in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, the hansom cab was a two-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage built for speed, maneuverability, and safety. It was the ride of choice for Londoners on the go—the 19th-century equivalent of hailing an Uber (but with one horsepower instead of 300! 🏇💨).

But fast is relative… These carriages zipped along at a blazing 🚀 5-10 mph—maybe 15 mph if the road was dry, smooth, and the horse was feeling particularly enthusiastic. 😆 Not exactly a high-speed chase, but in the crowded, cobbled streets of Victorian London, that was plenty exciting!

Ever wonder how people kept track of all these cabs? Hansom cabs were marked with numbered tags on the back, showing which company owned them—kind of like the forerunner of modern taxi license plates!

Though most famous in London, hansom cabs weren’t exclusive to England. They became wildly popular in New York, Paris, and even Sydney—basically, wherever busy city folk needed a quick and affordable ride. In the U.S., hansom cabs were especially popular in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Fun Fact: Sherlock Holmes himself often hailed a hansom cab while solving cases around London! 🔍🕵️‍♂️

Ever taken a spin in a horse-drawn carriage? If so, where? When we lived in Charleston, SC, we took a lovely carriage tour—not quite as tiny as a hansom cab, but just as charming! 😍🐎

Now we want to hear from you! Drop a comment below—have you ever experienced a carriage ride through a historic city? Would you have enjoyed hailing a hansom cab in the Victorian era? Or would you have been too impatient with the 10 mph speed limit? 😂🚖

#TheGryphonChronicles #VictorianLondon #HansomCab #HistoricalTidbits