The Concord coach was an American horse-drawn coach, often used as stagecoaches, mailcoaches, and hotel coaches. The term was first used for the coaches built by coach-builder J. Stephen Abbot and wheelwright Lewis Downing of the Abbot-Downing Company in Concord, New Hampshire, but later to be sometimes used generically. Like their predecessors, the Concords employed a style of suspension and construction particularly suited to North America's early 19th century roads. Leather thoroughbraces suspend passengers who are in constant motion while the coach is moving. The swaying is accepted by passengers for the shock absorbing action of the leather straps and for the way the special motion eases the coach over very rough patches of roadway. This suspension, which was developed by Philip de Chiese in the 17th century, was long replaced by steel springs in England.
Concord Coach in Wells Fargo livery with leather-covered front and back boots
Glen's Falls, Lake George & Chester stagecoach c. 1880
The three longitudinal perches, the front transom supporting the metal uprights, the front axle with its link for the pole. Brake levers on the outside edge either side
The Springfield coach, 1907. Charlestown, NH to Springfield, VT
A coach is a large, closed, four-wheeled, passenger-carrying vehicle or carriage usually drawn by two or more horses controlled by a coachman, a postilion, or both. A coach has doors in its sides and a front and a back seat inside. The driver has a raised seat in front of the carriage to allow better vision. It is often called a box, box seat, or coach box. There are many of types of coaches depending on the vehicle's purpose.
Catherine II's carved, painted and gilded Coronation Coach (Hermitage Museum)
Ornate detail on one of the Portuguese Royal Coaches at the National Coach Museum in Lisbon
Coaches are nowadays also used on ceremonial occasions. Here, a coach is used to convey President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson of Iceland during a state visit to Sweden.
Coach of King John V of Portugal, 18th century