I’m working on a longer post, which touches on Governess Carts (and which I hope to put up tomorrow), but in the meantime I found this lovely old image.
This is another from Rider & Driver (the May 30, 1914, issue), and the caption says:
“Mr. Wm. Foster’s Mel Valley’s Bauble 13.2 B.M., first in Governess Car Class at the last Olympia Show, driven by Miss Brocklebank, and Reserve Champion in Single Harness, to Mel Valley’s fame.”
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Miss Brocklebank (described in a photo caption on the following page as "one of the greatest women whips in England") driving Mel Valley's Bauble to a Governess Cart (from Rider & Driver, May 30, 1914)
February 7, 2011 at 6:18 pm
I watched Downton Abbey too and thought the very same thing about the Governess cart, tsk, tsk!–though there was a good lesson about not getting out of the cart to push it out of the mud!!
October 1, 2011 at 9:47 pm
I believe Mel Valley was owned by Mr William Foster who lived in a large house in Moseley Birmingham also called Mel Valley. Mr Foster was a wealthy clothier (Foster brothers clothing was eventually taken over by the sears group).
Great to finally find an image of this lovely horse.