51/1286

Holly (Manufacturer)

This Wiltshire bow wagon, painted red, blue and yellow, was made circa 1840 by the village wheelwright in Pewsham, Wiltshire. It was used on the Pullen Family's farm at Potterne, Wiltshire, and again when they moved to Farmoor, Oxfordshire. It has curving sideboards and a shallow body, but is not waisted, which means that it requires a large turning area (at least a quarter of an acre), available in an unenclosed county like southern Wiltshire, but has more room. It simple construction also adds to its strength. A very unusual feature of the wagon is the tall removable ladders at the front and back.

1 wagon: wood; metal

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'This wagon was made in the village of Pewsham in Wiltshire by Holly, the village wheelwright. It was built circa 1840 and spent most of its working life on the Pullen family’s farm at Potterne. The Pullen family later moved to Farmoor in Oxfordshire, taking this vehicle with them. Mr. Print bought the wagon at a sale in Farmoor before presenting it to the Museum. // Although the wagon bears the name-plate ‘Humphries and Sons, Wagon Works, Chippenham’, it is most unlikely that the wagon was made by them, since Edwin Humphries did not establish his wagon works at London Road, Chippenham, until 1857. The ‘and Sons’ could not possibly have been incorporated in the tradeplate before 1871, since before that date Humphries had only one son, Francis (born 1864). Another son, Albert Edward, was born in 1871. All the evidence, including the style of the tradeplate itself, suggests that it was not fitted on the wagon until the end of the nineteenth century. The vehicle, shich [sic] shows signs of extensive repairs, was probably taken to the Chippenham Wagon Works in the 1890’s or early 1900’s. // … // Wheels: The wagon is equipped with double tyres and each wheel is 6 inches wide. The rear wheels are each tyred with a hoop and six strakes. They have a diameter of 56 inches and each has 12 spokes. The front wheels are 45 inches in diameter, each one having 12 spokes, while the right hand wheel has one hoop and one line of strakes, the left hand wheel is double hooped. All the wheels are considerably dished, and their great width give the wagon a very hefty appearance in contrast to the light curving body. The track of the wheels is 64.5 inches. // Body: The blue coloured body of the wagon is light and curving, and is made up of planks held in place by very finely shaped upright slats of wood. These slats give the sides of the wagon a panelled appearance. There is no midrail since the body is only 15 inches deep at the front. The total length of the body at the top is 142 inches, and along the bottom it is 139 inches. A measure of the curving nature of the body is provided by the distance of the bottom timber from the ground. At the front it is 48 inches; immediately in front of the rear wheel it is 39 inches, and at the back it is 41 inches. // The sides are very finely shaped, curving upwards at the front and sweeping over the rear wheel. They are of solid construction and each has a maximum width of 15.5 inches. The maximum width of the wagon at the front from sideboard to sideboard is 70.5 inches. The wheel bar is 63 inches from the ground, and the total length of the sideboard is 152 inches. // Frontboard: The yellow coloured frontboard is not detachable, and it once had the name of the owner written on it in green. It dips sharply towards the centre, and it is as a whole very finely shaped. Without the sideboards it is 47 inches in width while the bottom of the frontboard is 43.5 inches wide. The maximum width at the front including the sideboards is as much as 70.5 inches. // Backboard: The backboard is of the plain boarded type fixed to the rear cross bar through a pair of slots. The whole wagon at the back is 73.5 inches wide while the backboard at the top is 45 inches wide and 12 inches deep. // Undercarriage: The slightly curved pole joining the fore carriage to the rear carriage is slightly curved and is pinned to the back of the wagon. The iron axle bed set in a wooden block is 46 inches wide, while the slider bar at the end of the forecarriage is 36.5 inches wide. It has two pairs of hands, the outside ones projecting 27 inches in front of the axle bed. The shafts, which are 113 inches long are connected to the forecarriage by an iron shaft pin. // Ladders: A very unusual feature of this wagon is the very tall removable fore and tail ladders, hinged to the floor of the wagon. The fore ladder is 54 inches above the top of the frontboard and is 65 inches wide at the top. The rear ladder is 32 inches wide and is 76 inches wide.', MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'The Wiltshire wagon is said to be a simpler version of the Cotswold wagon. While it possesses the curving sideboards and shallow body of the Cotswold type, it differs in that its body is not waisted, and is far less chamfered. It is thus a quarter lock vehicle, and needs at least a quarter of an acre to turn in. In an unenclosed county like Southern Wiltshire there was less occasion for the waisted construction than in narrow enclosures. Although the straight construction of the wagon sides had disadvantages in that a large area was required for turning, it had advantages in that the body was more roomy and commodious and in that a simple construction added to the strength of the vehicle. // Thomas Davis in his ‘General View of the Agriculture of Wiltshire’ published in 1813 described Wiltshire wagons as handsome vehicles, but far too heavy. Most of the wagons at that time were to be found in Southern Wiltshire, which was predominantly a corn growing district. There were relatively few in the clay vales of North Wiltshire, where the soil was unsuitable for corn growing. // Marshall in his ‘Southern Counties’ published in 1798 describes the wagons of Wiltshire as well adapted to the hillside chalk county where they were employed. // This extremely handsome wagon was made circa 1840 by Humphries and Sons, Wagon Works, Chippenham, a firm still in existence just before the last war. It was made for Mr Henry L. Pullen, who possibly farmed at Pitton, near Salisbury. He later moved to Oxfordshire. It is undoubtedly a wagon designed for use in hilly country, but on the other hand the width of the wheels, each being 6 inches broad, suggests that it was used on soil that was likely to become muddy.', Press cutting: “100 Years Old: A Berkshire waggon”, about a farm waggon that was built 100 years ago from the date when this article was written, probably in 1933, and two old Wiltshire waggons.

Pewsham

1825-01-01 - 1874-12-31

Mid-nineteenth century

Wood, Metal

Humphries & Sons (Corporate Body)