| LONDON TO BRIGHTON | BRIGHTON TO LONDON | ||||
| hrs | mins | secs | ||
| 1784 July 26 | Prince of Wales rode horseback from the Pavilion, Brighton to Carlton House, London and returned | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Going | 4 | 30 | 0 | |
| Returning | 5 | 30 | 0 | |
| 1784 August 21 | Prince of Wales drove phæton, three horses tandem, from Carlton House to the Pavilion | 4 | 30 | 0 |
| 1809 May | Cornet Webster of the 10th Light Dragoons rode horseback from Brighton to Westminster Bridge | 3 | 20 | 0 |
| 1831 June 19 | The Red Rover coach, leaving the Elephant and Castle at 4 pm, reached Brighton 8:21 | 4 | 21 | 0 |
| 1832 June 10 | The Red Rover coach from Brighton to London. | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| 1833 October | Walter Hancock's steam-carriage Autopsy performed the distance between Stratford and Brighton. (Halted 3 hours on road. Actual running time: 5 hrs 30 mins) | 8 | 30 | 0 |
| 1834 February 4 | Criterion coach, London to Brighton | 3 | 40 | 0 |
| 1850 January 8 | 8:45 express train from Brighton to London. | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1853 March 28 | Trotting match from Elephant and Castle, London to Elephant and Castle, Brighton is won by Maid of the Mill, against Nancy. | 3 | 53 | 0 |
| 1868 March 20 | Benjamin B Trench walked Kennington Church to Brighton and back (100 miles) | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 1869 February 17 | John Mayall jnr rode a velocipede from Trafalgar Square to Brighton in 'about' | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 1869 March 6 | W M and H J Chinnery walked from Westminster Bridge to Brighton | 11 | 25 | 0 |
| 1869 April 14 | C A Booth rode a velocipede London to Brighton | 9 | 30 | 0 |
| 1872 September 19 | Amateur Bicycle Club's London to Brighton race won by A Temple, riding a 44-inch wheel | 5 | 25 | 0 |
| 1873 August 16 | Six members of the Surrey BC and six of the Middlesex BC rode to Brighton and back, starting from Kennington Oval at 6:01 am. Causton, captain of the Surrey, reached the Albion, Brighton, riding a 50-inch Keen bicycle | 4 | 51 | 0 |
| W Wood (Middlesex) did the 100 miles | 11 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1874 April 27 | A Howard cycled Brighton to London | 4 | 25 | 0 |
| 1878 | P J Burt walked from Westminster Clock Tower to Brighton Aquarium | 10 | 52 | 0 |
| 1884 | C L O'Malley walked from Westminster Clock Tower to Brighton Aquarium | 9 | 48 | 0 |
| 1886 April 10 | J A McIntosh walked from Westminster Clock Tower to Brighton Aquarium | 9 | 25 | 8 |
| 1888 January 1 | Horse 'Ginger' trotted to Brighton | 4 | 16 | 30 |
| 1888 July 13 | James Selby drove Old Times coach from Hatchett's, Piccadilly to Old Ship, Brighton and back | 7 | 50 | 0 |
| Going | 3 | 56 | 0 | |
| Returning | 3 | 54 | 0 | |
| 1889 August 10 | Team of four cyclists—E J Willis, G L Morris, C W Schafer and S Walker—dividing the distance between them, cycled from Hatchett's, Piccadilly, to Old Ship, Brighton, and back | 7 | 36 | 19.4 |
| 1890 March 30 | Another team—J F Shute, T W Girling, R Wilson and A E Griffin—reduced first team's time by 4 mins 19.4 secs | 7 | 32 | 0 |
| 1890 April 13 | Another team—E R and W Scantlebury, W W Arnott and J Blair | 7 | 25 | 15 |
| 1890 June | F W Shorland cycled from Hatchett's to Old Ship and back (Geared Facile bicycle, pneumatic tyres) | 7 | 19 | 0 |
| 1890 July 23 | S F Edge cycled from Hatchett's to Old Ship and back (safety bicycle, cushion tyres) | 7 | 2 | 50 |
| 1890 September 3 | C A Smith cycled from Hatchett's to Old Ship (safety bicycle, pneumatic tyres) and back | 6 | 52 | 10 |
| 1890 September 30 | E P Moorhouse cycled (tricycle) from Hatchett's to Old Ship | 8 | 9 | 24 |
| 1891 March 21 | E H Cuthbertson walked from Hatchett's to Old Ship | 10 | 6 | 18 |
| From Westminster Clock Tower | 9 | 55 | 34 | |
| 1892 June 1 | S F Edge cycled from Hatchett's to Old Ship and back | 6 | 51 | 7 |
| 1892 September 6 | E Dance cycled to Brighton and back | 6 | 49 | 1 |
| 1892 September 9 | R C Nesbit cycled (high bicycle) to Brighton and back | 7 | 42 | 50 |
| 1893 September 12 | S F Edge cycled to Brighton and back | 6 | 13 | 48 |
| 1893 September 17 | A E Knight cycled to Brighton and back | 6 | 10 | 29 |
| 1893 September 19 | C A Smith cycled to Brighton and back | 6 | 6 | 46 |
| 1893 September 22 | S F Edge cycled to Brighton and back | 5 | 52 | 30 |
| 1893 September 22 | E Dance cycled to Brighton and back | 5 | 52 | 18 |
| 1893 October 4 | W W Robertson (tricycle) cycled to Brighton and back | 7 | 24 | 7 |
| 1894 June 11 | W R Toft cycled to Brighton and back | 6 | 21 | 30 |
| 1894 September 12 | C G Wridgway cycled to Brighton and back | 5 | 35 | 32 |
| 1894 September 20 | Miss Reynolds cycled to Brighton and back | 7 | 48 | 46 |
| 1894 September 22 | Miss White cycled to Brighton and back | 7 | 6 | 46 |
| 1895 September 26 | A A Chase cycled to Brighton and back | 5 | 34 | 58 |
| 1895 October 17 | J Parsley (tricycle) cycled to Brighton and back | 6 | 18 | 28 |
| 1895 November | J H Herbert cycled backwards to Brighton | 7 | 45 | 0 |
| 1896 June 26 | E D Smith and C A Greenwood (tandem) cycled to Brighton and back | 5 | 37 | 34 |
| 1896 | W Franks walked from south side of Westminster Bridge to Brighton | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| 1896 July 15 | C G Wridgway cycled to Brighton and back | 5 | 22 | 33 |
| 1896 September 15 | H Green and W Nelson (tandem) cycled to Brighton and back | 5 | 20 | 35 |
| 1896 November 14 |  'Emancipation Day Run' [first London-Brighton car rally. not race]. Léon Bollée driving a Bollée 3hp motor tricycle two-seater tandem completed the journey fastest among the 17 cars that reached Brighton out of the 33 that started, at an average speed of 13.91mph. (Under the newly passed Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 the national speed limit was 14mph.) Click on picture to enlarge in new window. |
3 | 44 | 35 |
| Second fastest car was also a Bollée 3hp motor tricycle two-seater tandem, driven by Léon's brother Camille Bollée. | 4 | 00 | 20 | |
| Source: adapted from Charles G Harper: The Brighton Road: The Classic Highway to the South, 3rd edn. London: Charles Palmer, 1922; Eric W Walford: Early Days in the British Motor Cycle Industry. London: Read Books, 2013 | ||||
Page updated 17 April 2017