In the second half of the 1700s Axminster became an important stage coach stop between Exeter and London, with up to 16 coaches calling at the George Hotel every day to change horses. The route became known as the Trafalgar Way in 1805 after carrying news to London of Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish at the Battle Trafalgar.
The stage coach was vital to the economy of Axminster at that time. When stage coaches were first introduced in the 1600s the journey could take up to eight days because of the state of the roads but that gradually came down to more like three days. Passengers took meal breaks while the horses were changed, and overnight accommodation was also part of the coaching inn offering.
Designer: Ros Hammond
“The design I chose is based on a Royal Mail coach that is still surviving and is famous for an attack on the horses by an escaped lion, though this was not in Devon but nearer Salisbury. It was a challenge to create a vertical deign from a horizontal image of a coach and horses and not being so confident about drawing realistic horses, I chose to focus on the coach.”
Location: Ganesha, South Street