Campbell Horse-Drawn Cutter
Credit LineGift of Linda and Scott McLaren, 2001
Object number2001.008.010
Label TextWorkers at John Campbell’s factory manufactured this sleigh in the late 19th century. Before the automobile, Londoners relied on these and other horse-drawn vehicles to transport themselves and their goods. The arrival of the railroad in 1853 did not change this. People and freight needed to move to and from the train station.
John Campbell opened his carriage works on King Street in 1865. Trained as a blacksmith, Campbell immigrated from Scotland in 1848. After working in Marcus Holmes’ carriage factory, he opened his own business in 1855. Responding to Canada’s westward expansion, he opened a carriage building shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the 1880s.
John Campbell Junior joined the family business, taking it over after his fathers’ 1901 death. It was a challenging time. Automobiles first appeared in London in 1899. By 1902-03, six cars had been registered in the city. This number grew to 273 by 1912-13. Although John Campbell Junior added automobile repairs to the business in 1918, it was not enough. He sold the business and factory in 1923.
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