Horse-Drawn Mail
Parcels Post song sheet, 1883
Accession number: 2005.82/13 (not currently available on the online catalogue)
This is the front cover of a Victorian song sheet to a song about the Parcels Post. It was written by N G Travers and arranged for voice and piano by Ernest J Symons.
The piece is part of a collection of songsheets that we were able to acquire thanks to the help of the V&A Purchase Grant fund.
The Post Office Parcels Post was introduced in 1883. This new service saw the Post Office reintroducing a brand new fleet of horse-drawn vehicles. These were run to strict timetables by a number of contractors.
The cover, by Alfred Concanen, shows clear details of the parcels van, the postal workers and their uniform. In the rear of the vehicle you can see a postal worker sorting packages. The sheet records the fact that the song was performed in public by Fred Coyne (1845-1886). Coyne was a popular music hall artist of the day.
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