John Lawler

If Sherlock Holmes had been practicising in 1836, not only would he have forced by the lack of trains to travel by stage- or mailcoach, but he would have lacked the ability to refer to a coaching equivalent of Bradshaw. This deficit was not remedied until 1969, when Alan Bates bought out this book, with it's comprehensive tables of long-distance stage coaches, to and from London; branch coaches in London; the principal coach proprietors in London, with their number of owned or leased long-distance coaches, and which inns they started from; the number of long-distance coaches departing daily from each of the principal establishments in London; other coaching establishments in London (terminals and calling points); timetables of Royal Mail coaches from & to London; cross-country and local Royal Mail coaches; cross-country and local stage coaches outside London; and local stage coaches in the London area. I bought my copy on it's publication in 1969, and over the last 50-odd years, have found it invaluable both for researching background material for living history events, and for browsing and imagining such journeys.