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Before the Iron Horse Arrived
At the onset of the Victorian age, the coach and horse was still one of Wellington's principle means of communication with the outside world. As a form of passenger transport, coaching was at the height of its popularity during the early Nineteenth Century, when upwards of 3000 coaches worked along the country's roads. Competition for trade was fierce and by 1828, no fewer than 13 London-bound coaches passed through Wellington every day on their way from Shrewsbury, with many of them making scheduled stops at either the Falcon Inn (now the Old Orleton) or the Cock Hotel on Watling Street. These establishments played a vital part in the coaching trade, providing food and accommodation for weary travellers, fresh horses for the next stage of the journey and smaller carriages for passengers who needed transport to other locations. The Falcon, also received and forwarded letters and parcels from Wellington's postal district via the Royal Mail coach. However, this long established system was quickly wiped out of existence when the railway arrived in town during 1849.