David Lionel Salomons, transport pioneer
From Vanity Fair, 1908:
'D.L. Salomons at the controls of one of his
De Dion-Bouton motor tricycles.'
“To ordinary people Sir David is known as one of the pioneers of motor-car traffic. Those who are fully convinced that the advent of the modern motor-car has been an unmixed blessing may hail him as a public benefactor. So far back as 1875 he saw something of the possibilities of an industry which appealed so strongly to human laziness. His first experiments were with electricity, and he succeeded in making a tricycle driven by a primary battery [but] Sir David remains convinced that carriages driven by electricity have a very limited sphere of usefulness . [Batteries were then too large and heavy to be able to power a vehicle successfully.]
“He kept a watchful eye on the development of oil and steam motors, however, and in 1895 organized the first automobile exhibition in England . The cars were practically all obtained from the continent, but the exhibition opened the eyes to British makers to possibilities, and quickly English cars … were placed on the market.
“Sir David Salomons grew busy. He threw himself into … influencing legislation in a sane way, writing, on average, about 160 letters a day, and interviewing everybody worth interviewing, and others. He was Founder, and First President of the Self-Propelled Traffic Association … and in 1896 had the satisfaction of knowing that the Act then passed was as good and liberal as the times permitted.
“He predicted, in 1896, that the use of mineral spirit motors would be confined to propelling cycles, but oil motor-cars inconsiderately came in and were a success. A later prediction of his, that steam would ultimately supplant oil for heavy traffic, seems likely to prove more creditable to his prophetic powers.”
'The Tunbridge Wells Horseless Carriage Exhibition.'
David Lionel Salomons may have been wrong with his prediction about steam cars, but we have him to thank for pioneering motor cars in this country.
He also battled to remove the law that insisted every motor vehicle should only be allowed to travel on the roads if a man walked in front with a red flag to warn people of the car's approach.
D.L. Salomons first built his own tricycle in 1874. It was powered by an enormous battery but ‘damage to clothes necessitated it being given up'. In 1894 he went to France , where motor transport was much further advanced, and bought a vehicle from Monsieur Peugeot for £270. After half an hour's driving lesson he had the car brought to England – only the second car in the country.
In 1895, when he was Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Salomons arranged the first motor show in the country – possibly the first one in the world. He brought his car, as did Mr Evelyn Ellis (the first motor vehicle owner in England ). Mr Frederick Simms brought a car and a petrol-driven fire engine. These were practically the only motor vehicles in the country, so the rest had to be brought over from France for the ‘Horseless Carriage ‘ exhibition. This was followed the next year by a display of ‘Horseless Carriages' at Crystal Palace , with the involvement of the Automobile Clubs of France and of Belgium . Sir David hoped these shows would encourage the growth of a British vehicle-building industry.
'The garages at Broomhill.'
D.L. Salomons went on to get the law changed so that motor-vehicles could drive on English roads without the red flag warning and for them to be able to drive at greater than four miles an hour. He was also involved with legislation for the storage and selling of petrol and oil.
David Lionel Salomons owned about 60 cars over his lifetime, and installed some of the first private garages in England . He was always keen on making alterations and improvements to the cars that he owned, and impressed on the manufacturers the need for standardisation, so that drivers could obtain spare parts at garages around the country rather than being weighed down with lots of equipment for running repairs.
He took part in several motor races in Britain and on the continent – including the famous Gordon Bennett Cup. An enthusiast for transport of all kinds, he was a director of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, a keen horse-owner and carriage-driver, had an interest in ballooning, and, in his latter years, was a follower of new developments in aeroplanes and a founder of the Aero Clubs of both Great Britain and France.
You can see Evelyn Ellis' Panhard and Levassor car in the Science Museum in London and on their website.