Winter Wonderland

We have had lots of snow here this week, although not as much as some people, and it has been extremely cold. In Regency Cheshire , the mail-coaches were expected to keep going whatever the weather. However, coaches often got stuck in the snow, which happened on one of the coldest nights on record, that of Friday 8 February 1799. The post-boys struggled on with the mail-bags on horseback. In those severe winters long ago, there were even reports of coachmen freezing to death.

Images: A snowy Delamere Forest, and the author’s back garden. © Sue Wilkes