FEATURE
4 mph limit . He described that first Brighton Run as “ a fitting , impressive and practical commencement of the new era , which is undoubtedly destined to work so great and beneficial a revolution in the life , habits and methods of locomotion of the people of this country ”. Few Britons had ever seen a motor vehicle , and the sheer novelty drew “ fully 500,000 sightseers ” to watch the start of the Run from the Metropole Hotel in Northumberland Avenue , despite drenching rain that had fallen steadily for hours , turning the roads “ soft and muddy ”. In fact , that “ soft and muddy ” road surface was one of the most unspeakable features of Victorian urban transport , which relied heavily on countless thousands of horses whose “ effluvium ” kept an army of road sweepers constantly busy . The coming of the horseless carriage was welcomed for the thought of clean streets and the improvement in health and hygiene that would bring .
Headed by a Panhard & Levassor “ pilot car ” driven by Harry Lawson , the run to Brighton set off at 10:30am after the participants had eaten a hearty breakfast . A bystander recalled : “ A loud ‘ whirr ’ as of countless sewing machines made speaking impossible , and every car commenced vibrating with the utmost agitation .”
Those of a nervous disposition worried about the new technology might have been unsettled had they realised that riding on the third car in line , a Panhard that had won the Paris-
Marseilles race two months earlier , was bomb disposal expert Sir Vivian Majendie , Her Majesty ’ s Inspector of Explosives ...
It ’ s uncertain how many of the cars that set off from the Metropole intended to go all the way to Brighton ; some had only turned out to make up the numbers and fell out of the run after a short while . Others – particularly the electrics , suffering from “ range anxiety ” – made a beeline for the London , Brighton & South Coast Railway , rode to Brighton on a truck and had to be spattered with mud in the Brighton goods yard to pretend they had driven all the way . And some simply broke down , like the motorcycle that had to be rescued by a hansom cab at Brixton .
According to the official report , “ Owing to the crowd , no real start could be made until Brixton was reached , when 22 cars only were started .” All the way crowds lined the roads , and as the cars headed towards
Emancipation Run organisers and key figures .
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