Expert: Mark Smith - 3/29/2009

Question
QUESTION: I am writing a novel set in Victorian England during the early 1850's and I am having some trouble determining if one would still travel from London to Devon by carriage or by train, also how long would the travel time be? Thank you so much for any help you can give me.

ANSWER: Hello Penny.
Travel by stage coach had pretty much ended by about 1850 with the rapid expansion of the railway.
It all depends on where in Devon your character is travelling to and when. The line across south Devon from Exeter to Plymouth was opened in 1849, but the line from Exeter north-west to Barnstaple was not completed until 1854. If you can give me a town and year I'll see if the railway had reached that far by then.
By train London to Exeter would only take about five or six hours in the 1850s.
Mark

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for you quick reply. I am attempting to get my character from London to Hatherleigh, the year is 1850. I used Hatherleigh due to the fact I need a small remote village during this time period for a portion of my book. If the train reached from London to Exeter during this time frame, would it be historically feasible to have them travel to Hatherleigh from there by coach?

Answer
There were no railways in north Devon in 1850, only the Exeter to Plymouth line in south Devon. So in 1850 a traveller from London would arrive in Exeter on a Great Western Railway train and complete the journey by stage coach.  
I'll see if I can find any details on coaches from Exeter to north Devon at that time, but it might take a few days.
Mark

There was a coach leaving from the Bude Hotel, Exeter at 0415 every day to Bude via Hatherleigh.
Another coach left from the New London Inn, Exeter at 1330 daily for Bideford via Hatherleigh.
An omnibus left from the Crown and Sceptre Inn, Exeter on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 0900 for Holsworthy via Hatherleigh.
If your character was poor he/she would probably take the bus, otherwise he/she would pay more for the coach journey.
I don't know what time the trains arrived at Exeter, so it would possibly mean an overnight stay before catching a coach or omnibus the next day.
Mark