How the Car Destroyed the Saddlery Industry
Saddlery and Harness Journal Charts the Introduction of the Auto
Jun 12, 2009
For two centuries, the town of Walsall, now a part of Greater Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, has been the undisputed capital of leather working and saddlery. According to Michael Glasson, author of Walsall Leather Industry, Walsall, in its heyday, had over 100 saddleries, employing around 7000 people. Even now, some 70 saddleries still exist.
Walsall – Decline of the Saddlery Industry
Up until the 19th Century, horsepower made the world go round and army contracts for saddles and harness made up a large part of Walsall’s business.
The introduction of the motor car and, subsequent motorisation of army transport, scuppered the industry. There is a fascinating record of the changing industry response to this enormous historical change in the trade journal Saddlery and Harness, which was first published by T.Kirby and Sons of Walsall in 1891. The Saddlery Museum, Walsall preserves a 6-volume set of these historic magazines in its library.
Saddlery and Harness Journal – Monitoring the Motor Car
The journalistic expertise of Saddlery and Harness and its concern to report what mattered to the trade is evident in the fact that the Journal makes its first reference to the motor car in September 1895. The first car to be produced in Europe, a Panhard-Levessor, came out in 1889 and another French company, Peugeot, joined the competition in 1891. There were very few around.
Frederick Bremer built the first British car and tested it on the roads around Walthamstow in 1894, and event which, according to Slough History Online , seems overshadowed by the widely-reported importing of a French car by Slough Evelyn Ellis in 1895.
In Volume V, September 1895 of the trade journal, the headline was alarmist Horses Again Threatened with Extinction, and the article captured the mood: “Carriages propelled along the highway by machinery worked with a small amount of petroleum are now causing great excitement in France”. Nevertheless, the editor was ultimately dismissive, reassuring readers that “we have nothing to fear” and judging it “somewhat ridiculous to suppose that the invention of a motor car can render horses less necessary to man.”
Acknowledging the Inevitable Triumph of the Car in 1896
Within just six months, scorn had turned to alarm. Volume V of March 1896 carried letters from readers concerned about the formation of Motor Car Clubs, the rights of drivers of horses and carts, and a demand to strongly oppose calls for the repeal of the Red Flag Law.
This law, dating back to 1865, brought in when experiments with steam cars began, required motor vehicles to have a man with a flag proceed them, a law which effectively reduced the car to walking speed. This was hotly opposed by motoring enthusiasts and was crippling the development of the motor car industry.
Another letter called for all those in Walsall and Birmingham dependent on the horse for their livelihood should be combining to stop “what may be a great injury to the horse.”
The following month, Volume V April 1896 saw the editor absolutely refuting the idea that Horse and Harness should lead the fight against the new motor industry or repeal of the Red Flag Act, stating that “opposition to it is only a waste of time and waste of energy.”
The journal did, however, report that the Walsall Chamber of Commerce had proposed clasuses for the new Bill that would include speed indicators and bells to be continuously sounded.
In Volume V, June 1986 reported that local Walsall MP, Mr Gedge had promised to support the amendments suggested by the Walsall Chamber of Commerce.
Triumph of Motorists Over Horse-Owners
Parliamentary record, Hansard, Vol 43 details the progress of the Locomotives on Highways Bill on 29-30 June July, 1896. The Red Flag requirement was removed for locomotives (ie. cars) under 3 ton weight, and the speed limit was raised to 14 miles per hour. Not surprisingly, the government also introduced an excise duty on motor vehicles.
Motorists cheered the decision and, to celebrate, the first London to Brighton “Run” was held on November 14.
The Saddlery and Harness Journal reported in Volume VI January 1987 that the previous year marked “the revival of the horseless carriage,” and bravely suggests that, “whether they will be a success or not is open to question”. However, the journal does admit that “motor cars are causing some fear in the trade but great improvements will be needed before they make much impact on the trade…”
Nonetheless, there was an increase in the frequency of bankruptcy reports and strikes in the journal. The industry was soon in serious decline. At the beginning of Edward VII’s reign in 1901, the horse was still the dominant means of transport, but by 1903, it became clear that there was a need for licensing of motorists, and by the end of that year, some 8500 licences had been issued.
This article has gleaned facts about industry response to the motor car from the Saddlery Museums’s extracts of the Saddlery and Harness Magazine. For a more detailed look at Saddlery and Harness Journal, view the extracts on the Walsall City website
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