Few 200-year-old hobby horses have survived. So replicas were built by cycle enthusiasts to enjoy the sensations that would have been experienced by the original pioneers. There were no pedals in those days. To move forwards, the rider sat astride of the machine and walked it along, and then coasted once they had built up sufficient speed. It was known as ‘Swift-walking’.
1819 Hobby Horse (Replica)
LENGTH: 79″
WIDTH: 24″
HEIGHT: 54″
Front wheel 32″
Rear wheel: 34″
(Now sold)
Most original hobby horses are in museums and are much too valuable to use on the road. So enthusiasts build their own, and many also ride them in vintage events. The interesting thing about this type of machine is that despite it being over two centuries since the Hobby Horse was invented, traditional carpentry, blacksmith work, saddlemaking and wheelwright skills have not changed that much. So it’s possible to use similar methods of construction to create replicas.
I took this one to The Regency Town House at 13 Brunswick Square in Hove to photograph it in a sympathetic background with Regency era colours. I enjoyed meeting Nick, the curator, who had a wealth of knowledge to share on the history of that era. As you can see, the Regency Town House is currently being renovated.
CRAFTSMAN ANDREW HEAPS, BUILDER OF THIS HOBBY HORSE
Our friend Andrew Heaps built this hobby horse from scratch over a ten year period. The photo above shows Andrew in the 1990s, alongside the original hobby horse on which he modelled his replica. Andrew went out to Qatar to work on that machine after it was bought by the Sheikh from a British auction house. Various parts were missing, which Andrew created. It’s still in the Qatar Museum collection in Doha, though is not currently on display.
The photo below shows Andrew after he completed the building of the replica hobby horse in June, 2022.
He explained to me that he found a curved Ash beam in the 1990s before going to Qatar. He stored it in his woodshed as he thought it would be ideal for the backbone of a hobby horse. He started building it in 2012. It has taken some time to complete because he has done it in between other projects, his long term restoration being an early 1900s Humber Motorised Quadricycle.
Wheel hubs for a hobby horse were traditionally made from Elm because it is unmovable, and the felloes (rims) from from Ash because it is springy. This is what Andrew used. Spokes are usually made from Oak for longitudinal strength, though Andrew used Beech because that’s what he had available. The wheels have metal bands for ‘tyres’.
The saddle and chest brace were missing from the Qatar hobby horse. So instead he copied those used on the Denis Johnson hobby horses. A friend had bought two carts from a barn and in one of them was a hessian sack containing the contents of an old fashioned mattress upholstered in horse hair. Andrew made linen pockets, filled them with the horse hair, and then soaked leather (repurposed from a sofa) over the top and pinned it on.
The result is a hobby horse with a very authentic look to it that is also practical to use.
PINNOCK’S CATECHISM OF MECHANICS
The following explanation of the Hobby Horse appeared in ‘Pinnock’s Catechism of Mechanics,’ published in 1823.
THE REGENCY TOWN HOUSE
13 BRUNSWICK SQUARE, HOVE, EAST SUSSEX
The Regency Town House at 13 Brunswick Square (above) is a grade 1 listed terraced home in the heart of Brunswick Town, a Georgian estate in the City of Brighton & Hove on the Sussex coast. Built in the 1820s, it is currently being developed by staff and volunteers as a heritage centre and museum.
DENIS JOHNSON’S HOBBY HORSE
Denis Johnson (born 1760) was a coachmaker who patented the ‘Pedestrian Curricle’, or ‘Hobby Horse’, in England. His premises were located at 75 Long Acre, London.
It seems that just over 300 machines were built, with production having been estimated at around 25 a week. Two were sold in May 1819 to the Duke of Northumberland for £11 each. The early machines were steered by long, curved, iron rods that connected to the front wheel hub, but most were made with the handlebar operating directly onto the top of the front forks. Johnson managed to improve the hobby horse with iron forks instead of wood, and a curved frame that was more elegant and lighter (around 50 lbs).
Riding schools were established to teach people how to ride this revolutionary new form of independent transportation.
BICENTENNIAL OF THE DENIS JOHNSON HOBBY HORSE
I worked as the publicity officer at the International Cycling History Conference at The Guildhall in the City of London in 2018, so I attended this nearby event celebrating the 200 year anniversary of Denis Johnson’s hobby horse. I photographed enthusiasts riding their (replica) hobby horses to Johnson’s original shop at 75 Long Acre in Covent Garden.
FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF LONDON
As a footnote, at the International Cycle History Conference, my friend Paul Adams and I – as creators of bicycle museums – each received the ‘Freedom of the City of London’. This ceremony was first recorded in 1237, and in the early days it entitled the holder of that ‘freedom’ to bring sheep to the Guildhall to sell. I brought my Michaux velocipede and borrowed a costume from Andrew. You can see Paul Adams (in a red costume) riding his replica hobby horse in several of the photos above and the video below.
