Horse-drawn grocer's wagon from Castletown

Date made: 19th century

Place made: Castletown

Description: This wagon was used for many years in the 1940s and 1950s as a travelling shop by Mr Nash, who had a fruit and vegetable business in Arbory Street, Castletown. The vehicle was originally the property of Thomas Milner Dodd, a Wine and Spirit Merchant of Castletown, who used it as a delivery wagon in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

It has four wheels and a covered body. There are traces for a single horse but it is known that in Mr Dodd's day it was drawn by three horses. The maker's name 'E.Stansfield & sons Bradford' is visible on some of the wheel hubs.

The vehicle represents the last generation of commercial horse drawn transport in use on the Isle of Man. By the 1950s, motorised delivery vehicles were increasingly common on the Island's roads.

Materials: cotton, iron, paint/oil, wood

Object name: wagon

Collection: Social History Collection

ID Number: 1974-0247

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