The invention of the wheel is probably one of the most monumental achievements in human history. Wheels developed an efficient form of transportation for humankind. With the invention of carts and chariots, wheels have changed the course of farming, and they have provided labor-saving tools, such as wheelbarrows and handcarts. The wheel was also vital to the pottery and milling industries. Wheels in the form of pulleys, cogs, and gears have led to all manner of other inventions that have shaped the modern world.
The earliest cart wheels were likely made from round sections of tree trunks, but these would have been heavy and cumbersome and insufficient for long distances. Experts think that, from around 5000 BCE, people were making wheels from three shaped planks of wood, but these sectional wheels would have had obvious weak spots.
It is generally accepted that the spoked wheel was developed around 2000 BCE, but this type of wheel would not become commonplace in most places until much later. Creating a spoked wheel required a lot of skill, plus a variety of tools. With the advent of the spoked wheel, people were able to create well-balanced, lighter wheels.
Precise measurements, accurate spacing, and careful calculations were necessary to construct the perfect, well-balanced circle that was required for a spoked wheel. Therefore, the craft of the specialist wheelwright is linked with the invention of the spoked wheel. People in remote regions without access to a wheelwright continued to make and use solid wheels, while those places in places where they were lucky or wealthy enough to have a wheelwright in their neighborhood would have used the spoked variety.
In Britain, “wheelwright” became the term used to describe craftsmen who were expert in building and repairing wooden spoked wheels. The word “wright” comes from the Old English “wryhta,” meaning a worker or shaper of wood. The English surnames of “Wright” and “Cartwright” developed from the occupation of the wheelwright.
These tradesmen made wheels for carts and wagons, called “Wains.” This lead to the surname “Wainwright.” Wheelwrights also made spinning wheels, and later they made wheels for the belt drives for early steam-powered machinery.
The process of making a wooden cart wheel begins with the construction of the hub, generally called the “nave.” Traditionally, the nave was made from well-seasoned elm wood. Once the nave has been shaped correctly, it’s marked, and angled mortices are drilled and chiseled into it. It is into these recesses that the shaped oak or ash spokes must fit. The spokes were traditionally shaped by using an axe, a saw, and a spoke shave, with the aim being to create spokes with the maximum strength but minimum weight.
A number of different skills, as well as specialist woodworking tools, are required to make all the different parts of a wooden cart wheel. The rim of the wheel is made up of segments of shaped blocks that are known as “felloes.” The felloes can be made of ash, elm, oak, or beech. They’re shaped to a pattern and slots are bored into them in for the spokes to fit.
Wooden cart wheels are generally fitted with an iron “tire” in the form of a hoop. Accurate measurements using a traveler’s wheel are vital to make sure the iron hoop is the right size so it will closely fit over the wooden wheel. Once the ends of the iron “tire” are welded together to form a complete circle, it’s then heated in a fire, which causes the metal to expand. While the wheel still hot, the iron hoop is fitted over the wheel using levers and sledgehammers. It’s vital that this is done as quickly as possible because the iron will shrink as it’s cooled. Once the iron hoop is in place, the entire wheel is cooled with water, causing the iron to shrink and thus constricting the entire wheel and holding it
tightly together.
The making of the traditional cart wheel has only changed subtly in the last few thousand years. Spoked wheels gradually changed from being made entirely of wood, to being made from wood with iron “tires.” The iron first appeared in the form of iron sections called “strakes,” which were fitted onto the outside of the wheel. From the mid-1800s, more effective, solid-iron “hoops” encasing the wooden wheel gradually replaced strakes. By the 20th century, cart wheels were often made with a combination of wood, iron, and rubber, with the solid rubber tire giving a more comfortable ride.
The other change that occurred in cart wheel design is that angled spokes were developed. The more complicated angled design gives the wheel a “dished” look and gives the finished wheel greater strength.
Today’s Wheelwrights
The process of making a wooden wheel involves a great deal of accuracy and a number of different skills. Many years are spent learning the craft of the wheelwright. In the past, when horses were relied on for transport and farm work, there would have been a wheelwright in every region, but today there are very few working wheelwrights. Some might assume that this is a dying trade. However, the craft does still exist. Although there are only a few wheelwrights left, those still working are often in high demand. The numbers of people who have the skills to build a cart wheel from scratch are few, and there are still a number of people who want wooden wheels. The British royal family have numerous horse-drawn vehicles, as do private owners of traditional horse-drawn carts and carriages who show them every weekend throughout the summer events.
One of the longest standing companies of wheelwrights that still exists is Mike Rowland & Son, based in Devon, England. This family-owned company has roots in the wheelwright trade that date back to the 14th century, and the wheelwrights are proud to have made and repaired cart wheels for the British monarchy, which still uses traditional horse-drawn vehicles and gun carriages in its ceremonies. Mike Rowland & Son make wheels for all manner of horse-drawn vehicles, antique military cannons, and even Roman-style trebuchets!
The wheelwrights supply wheels for horse-drawn drays, many of which are owned by breweries, which use these traditional trade wagons as promotional tools, but they have also made wooden wheels for vintage motor vehicles. On average, the company makes around 200 wheels per year, but its workers also repair and restore wheels and wheeled vehicles. It is most encouraging to see this company has a young apprentice, as it would be a real pity for this craft to die out.
Training in the U.K., for those who wish to learn the wheelwright’s craft, is available through apprenticeships offered by The Worshipful Co. of Wheelwrights, which is said to be planning up to 20 apprenticeships to run over the next four decades. This may seem like a small number, but, bearing in mind that this is a niche craft, it’s still a significant number for a small country like the U.K. It believes that any more apprenticeship schemes than this would be unsustainable.
In the U.S., the Colonial Williamsburg living-history museum in Virginia has traditional practicing wheelwrights who build and repair vehicles to be used in the museum’s Historic Trades department. The wheelwright’s shop produces carts, wagons, and wheelbarrows. They also build some traditional agricultural implements.
One can only hope that in both countries there are enough owners of traditional horse-drawn vehicles to keep the role of the wheelwright alive in the future. On my travels throughout shows and events in the U.K., I certainly see plenty of traditional horse-drawn vehicles, and it must be the case that these vehicles all need replacement wheels from time to time. Whilst not everyone is a fan of the British royal family, it can be said that they help keep these traditional skills alive, for they have a vast fleet of ceremonial horse-drawn vehicles, and indeed the funds to maintain such a large fleet.
All manner of vehicles
Just as we now have vehicles of all kinds, there were also wide varieties of vehicles in the horse-drawn past. There were expensive and flashy phaetons, chaises, landaus, and barouches that carried the wealthy in style. These vehicles came in various different styles, with many being fitted with retractable roof covers to protect passengers from the rain. Just as today, vehicles were a status symbol. The rich travelled in fast and ostentatious-looking vehicles, and the more ordinary people used public transport and travelled in hired cabs, passenger carts, and public coaches and omnibuses. Functional carts also came in a wide variety of styles. There were goods wagons of all sizes, horse-drawn hearses, and even carts to carry animals.
Then, there was the vast array of farm vehicles from hay wagons to muck carts. Every town would have its cart and coach builders, with styles varying from region to region. For instance, a Suffolk market cart would vary from a Scottish market cart, and a Yorkshire hay wagon was different from an Irish hay wagon. Building a cart didn’t just involve the carpenter and the wheelwright. It also involved the blacksmith, who would not only make the iron rims for the cart wheels, but also all of the iron fitting and fixtures, such as hinges, rein, and harness loops and catches. Finally, the sign writer would personalize the cart to suit the owner.
In horse shows and vintage events today, we frequently see pretty carts, usually pulled by one horse. We also see the big drays usually pulled by a team of heavy horses, and these carts are generally restored to a high standard with prizes being awarded for the best overall look, as well as how well the horse pulls the cart. One thing we don’t see much of is the more humble utility-style horse-drawn vehicles of yesteryear, because people have always tended to preserve the beautiful over the everyday.
There is, however, one cart restorer, Norman Frost of North Wales, who has spent many years trying to rectify this imbalance. After years of restoring “pretty carts,” he decided to focus on the often overlooked horse-drawn vehicles that were once everywhere, but were not considered in the least bit showy or attractive. Norman has now restored several of these less-than-fashionable vehicles, including a pauper’s hearse, a slaughterman’s wagon, and a night-soil van. Night soil is the polite term for the human waste that was collected at night from homes in cities, and then carried out to the countryside. Before the advent of sewage systems, this was unsavory, but at the same time highly important work. No one thinks of showing such vehicles in vintage displays, so it’s wonderful Norman has thought to preserve these vehicles, which provide a glimpse in the darker side of the past.
Josephine Roberts lives on an old-fashioned smallholding in Snowdonia, North Wales, and has a passion for all things vintage. Email her at josiewales2021@aol.com
