Private ownership of horse-drawn vehicles grew in popularity in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Carriages came in many shapes and sizes, from sporty vehicles such as the gentleman's gig to working vehicles such as the wagonette.

Phaetons were fast and provided a new level of independence for fashionable women who wished to 'see and be seen'. They were popular for day trips but could be dangerous, as Jane Nott found to her cost in 1836:

"Miss Jane Nott, aged 17,.. was taking an airing on Durdham Down with two other young ladies and their governess, in a phaeton belonging to Mr Smith, when the horse took fright, in consequence, it is supposed, of the rapidity with which it was passed by three carriages in succession, and rushed off at tremendous speed towards the brow of the hill, immediately above the Clifton turnpike gate. The driver, in endeavouring to restrain the horse, was pulled out and severely injured, upon which Miss Elizabeth Pelly, one of the young ladies in the phaeton, made her escape from the back, and was but slightly hurt. The young lady who has been cut off in the very bloom of life was immediately after seen to rise from the driving seat, and to stand up for a short time, ... and then sprung from the carriage, ...she was found quite dead, having broken her neck..."

The Times, June 7 1836