Tonneau (wagon)
The tonneau , also known as the barrel or, more rarely, the governess cart , is a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle with a rear entry. The barrel-shaped rounding of the rear seat backs gives it its name. A distinctive feature of the tonneau are the two bench seats located across the direction of travel. Up to four people could sit in this horse-drawn vehicle, but the tonneau only offered four full-grown people a confined space. The driver sat sideways on one of the two bench seats. Driver and passengers boarded the tonneau from the stern. Typically there was a small door and often a step to make climbing easy. The wheels were always provided with a splash guard. Usually the tonneau was equipped with elliptical springs. The axle was either straight or sloping slightly, which gave the wagon a low center of gravity.
The tonneau is a relatively recent further development of a horse-drawn vehicle, the development of which was aimed at creating a safe and easy-to-steer vehicle. The tonneau is a further development of the dos-à-dos . It bears its English-language name Governess Cart because it was used very often by governesses . The arrangement of the benches enabled her to keep an eye on her pupils. In contrast to the dog cart, children were less likely to fall out of the vehicle because of the high walls of the carriage. The relatively narrow construction also made it possible to drive along narrow country lanes or park paths. The wagon was usually pulled by a pony or a donkey.
Single receipts
- ^ Trev Broughton and Ruth Symes: The Governess - An Anthology . Sutton Publishing, Thrupp 1997, ISBN 0-7509-1503-X , p. 44 f.