Ipswich Horse Trams
In 1879 the Board of Trade granted permission for the construction of a
horse tramway in Ipswich. Horse trams were a popular form of transport as
the tram rails provided a smoother surface to travel over than a bumpy road.
One horse could haul a tramcar carrying about fifty people much faster than
other forms of transport.
Mr. W. B. Dick played a major part in financing a line from Cornhill to
the Railway Station. The tram rails were laid in
the road surrounded by
granite or wooden setts, and the maintenance of this was the responsibility
of the new Ipswich Tramway Company. The line opened for public service on
13th October 1880, serviced by two single deck tramcars each pulled by a
single horse. In 1881 the Company was incorporated by an Act of Parliament
and the office moved from London to Ipswich.
By 1884 three route extensions had taken place and the fleet expanded to
incorporate six single deck and two double deck cars, hauled by a pool of
18 horses. The fleet was kept at a depot in Quadling Street. The cars
featured velvet seat cushions in their saloons and were painted brown and
Competition arrived for the horse trams in 1898 in the form of a rival
horse bus service. This competition resulted
in fares being cut but the trams
were losing money. In 1901 the Company tried to sell the business but in
fact Ipswich Corporation compulsorily purchased the network in that year.
Ipswich Corporation ran the horse trams until 6th June 1903 after which the
network was closed and rebuilt for electric tram