A Vital Artery from London to Holyhead
Introduced in the late 18th century, the Royal Mail Coach, with it’s red & black livery improved the reliability and speed of mail delivery across the UK. Before this innovation, mail was carried by individual postboys or private carriers, which was slow and incredibly unreliable. The introduction of the mail coach system in 1784 revolutionised postal services by ensuring timely deliveries and a far more secure means of transporting mail.
The exact route taken from London to Holyhead varied at first, until the construction of Thomas Telford’s road, the A5, between 1815 and 1826. The final part of the A5, the Menai Bridge, was opened to traffic, on a wild & stormy night January 31, 1826. Telford’s revolutionary bridge designs, including the Waterloo Bridge in Betws-y-Coed, along with his road meant that the stage coach journey time from London was reduced from 41 hours to 27 hours.
The Strategic Route
The A5, also known as the Holyhead Road, was one of the most important routes serviced by the Royal Mail Coaches. This road connected London to Holyhead, a major port for travel to Ireland. The strategic significance of this route can’t be overstated:
- The route enabled faster communication between London, the administrative heart of the UK, and Ireland. This was crucial for both political and commercial correspondence.
- By providing a reliable means of transporting goods and money, the Royal Mail Coach on the A5 bolstered trade. Businesses could send and receive orders, payments, and information with unprecedented speed.
- The coaches were not just for mail; they also carried wealthy domestic & overseas passengers. Improving the accessibility of travel between London and various towns along the A5, fostering economic growth in rural areas
A Technological and Logistical Marvel
Coaches travelled the 260 mle route at an average speed of 8-10 miles per hour, with scheduled stops at coaching inns where horses were changed swiftly to maintain momentum.
Challenges and Triumphs
The journey was not without its challenges. The coaches had to navigate rough terrain, face harsh weather conditions, and deal with the threat of highwaymen. Yet, the service rarely faltered, thanks to the dedication of the drivers, guards, and the teams managing the operations.
It’s Impact
The Royal Mail Coach service on the A5 left an enduring legacy. It set standards for punctuality and reliability that influenced future postal and transportation services. The coaching inns along the route (of which the Royal Oak is one) evolved into bustling hubs of activity, some of which still exist today as historical landmarks.
Entwined into our History
From June 1940 to the summer of 1945, the Royal Oak Hotel was the base for Dulwich Preparatory School. Around 240 boys and staff were evactuated from London because of the danger from Nazi bombing raids. In 1987 former pupils and staff presented the hotel with a detailed model of a London to Holyhead Royal Mail Coach, in memory of the school’s late headmaster John Leakey. The model is displayed in the Grill Room.
The Goets Fawr Legacy
In the summer of 2011, S4C re-enacted the journey of the 1820’s London to Holyhead Royal Mail Coach and celebrated it with a week of live programmes and events. Called ‘Y Goets Fawr’ (the Big Coach) RoughCollie Tv were challenged with the opening sequences and delivered a CGI coach and galloping horses with dynamic animation for the graphics package. The titles followed the coach on it’s journey along the surface of an aged etched map. We approached them in 2019 and they allowed us to recreate the graphics in wallpaper format which you can see on the back wall of Y Stablau (the Stables).
In 2023 we took this concept one stage further and created Y Goets Bach ( the little coach) which sits outside the Royal Oak and serves teas, coffees, cake and other delicious treats!
