A surrey is a doorless, four-wheeled
carriage
A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping ...
popular in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Usually two-seated and holding for four passengers, surreys had a variety of tops that included a rigid, fringed canopy, parasol, and extension. The seats were traditional, spindle-backed (often upholstered), bench seats. Before the advent of automobiles, these were
horse-drawn carriages
A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping a ...
.
The name is short for "Surrey cart", named after
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...
in England, where they were first made.
In popular culture
The American surrey was famously celebrated in the song "
The Surrey with the Fringe on Top
"The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" is a show tune from the 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Oklahoma!''. The piece was recorded in 1952 by jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, which influenced trumpeter Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, ...
" from the musical ''
Oklahoma!
''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...
''.
Gallery
File:Surrey (PSF).svg, Line-art representation of a horse-drawn surrey.
File:1890 Carriage Model.jpg, 1890 Canadian open-top surrey once used in Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...
.
File:1900 Spider Surrey, made by A. T. Demarest & Co., New York, New York.jpg, 1900 Spider Surrey, New York
File:MHV Knox Surrey 1904 01.jpg, 1904 Knox Surrey, an early adaptation of the concept to the motorized era.
See also
*
Types of carriages
References
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Carriages