Sandbach’s Heritage – August 2026

By Stewart Green

The first public form of transport the stagecoach appeared in the 13th century but it wasn’t until the 16th century that the national stagecoach routes we know of today came into operation. Why were they called stagecoaches? The answer is because each route was split into 10 to 15 mile segments or “Stages”. Coaching houses were set up to change the horses and also to allow the passengers to have a rest from the bumpy rides and on certain runs they could find a bed for the night. Coaching stops are usually recognised by an arched entrance leading to the stable yard and drop off point for passengers.

Because of the various routes covered by the stagecoaches they were often used as carriers for the mail service that had been set up in 1516 by Henry VIII when he appointed Sir Brian Tuke as the first minister of the posts. Before then a single horseman would carry the mail to its destination. In 1635 Charles 1st started the General Post Office and it was available to the general population. In 1660 Charles II officially opened the GPO or General Post Office. In 1840 the post office issued its first stamps and post boxes appeared in the UK from 1852. Before this date post was handed over the counter to a postmaster at designated Post Offices.

In 1820 horse drawn stagecoaches were mainly nationalised by contracts to the Royal Mail. The horses and coaches plus drivers were employed by an independent company but the guards sitting on the back were employed by the Post Office to guard the letters and parcels posted with the new Royal Mail service.

All of the coaches were of a uniform design and were painted in dark red and black with scarlet wheels. The guards employed by the Post Office were dressed in top hats, uniforms in scarlet frogged (with braid or fastening consisting of a spindle shaped button and a loop) with gold lace. They also carried a blunderbuss (Gun), a cutlass and a pair of pistols to ward off any thieves.

Sandbach was one of the stops for the Royal Mail coaches with the first known stop being at the George Hotel (2025 Wetherspoons) which was at some time also the post office for the town and would have had horses and stables to allow the coach to use refreshed animals for the next stage of their journey with the ‘Royal Sovereign’ and the ‘Rocket’ coaches stopping off there.

Stagecoaches were allowed to go through Toll Gates without paying a fee and also any road user would have to let the stage pass them without stopping as they had priority just like the police and emergency services of today. To let people know the coach was on its way they had a long trumpet or “Post Horn” which was blown when the driver could see an obstacle in the road to let them know to get out of their way.

The other stop on the coach run was the Wheatsheaf. This stop was for the ‘Nettle’ coach.

In 1834 a published timetable showed the stops and destination of the coaches through Sandbach. At the George Hotel at 12.30pm (Every Day) the Royal Mail came from Liverpool to London, at 2pm (Tuesday to Sun) the ‘Red Rover’ went to London. At 10pm (Every Day) the ‘Erin Go Bragh’ went to London and finally at various times each day a regular Mail coach went through the town from London to Liverpool.

The same 1834 timetable showed the Wheatsheaf journeys starting at 7.30am (Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat) to Manchester via Middlewich on the ‘Royal William’ which also ran a trip to Nantwich at 8pm (Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat).

By the 1840’s the railway had taken over from the stagecoaches and the only horse drawn regular service was a taxi cart from the Elworth Station to the Wheatsheaf with Mr Jack Hulme of Green Street as one of the drivers.

The first train to stop at Sandbach on the Manchester to Crewe lines was on the 4th May 1842.

The next stage in public transport was the introduction of a motorised bus service. But that is another story.