From the archives of Bob Montgomery, motoring historian
IN THE BEGINNING: One of Ireland's earliest motorists was the Hon Leopold Canning, later Lord Garvagh - who first began to motor in France in 1896. Born in 1878, in 1898 he imported a 6 hp Panhard into Ireland but found it very temperamental and thus, the furthest he travelled in it was just 25 miles from his home at Garvagh in CoDerry.
The Panhards's performance was modest, but he recalled that the instruction book stated "absolutely seriously" that "The third speed is the highest gear, and is dangerous. It should never be used except by a very expert driver, and only on straight and level pieces of road."
Canning liked fast motors and a 4 ½ hp Aster racing tricycle first whetted his appetite before being replaced by a series of Century three-wheelers. These were fitted with 5 or 6 ½ hp single-cylinder, water-cooled engines and were quite potent little machines, and when in "racing trim" were capable of over 40 mph. Canning used two of these Century vehicles to complete the epic Irish Automobile Club 1901 Tour.
At its finish, only four of the cars that had started were still running, two of which were Canning's Century three-wheelers. It was while driving one of his Century three-wheelers that Canning had an encounter with a milk-cart. Seeing Canning, the driver of the milk-cart drove his vehicle deliberately into the ditch where he proceeded to trash his horse, not to mention spilling most of his milk. Canning meanwhile had stopped, a horrified spectator to this cruel act.
A few days later, he received a bill for damages from the man's solicitor, claiming that the incident had been caused by his fast and dangerous driving and his refusal to stop! As Canning himself related, "scarcely one of the local magistrates at that time had ever seen a motor, and they mostly believed them to be infernal machines belching forth flames and smoke to an accompaniment of terrific explosions, my solicitors told me it would be hopeless to contest the case. Therefore, I had to pay most of this disgraceful claim.'
Such incidents aside, Leopold Canning was an enthusiastic early advocate of the car. He was a founder member of both the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland, the Irish Automobile Club and the AA, as well as a founder member of the French Aero Club. He joined the Royal Flying Corps in the first World War and survived to continue motoring, latterly as a Rolls-Royce and a Maxwell devotee.
In 1928, he became one of the first members of that unique body, the Fellowship of Nineteenth Century Motorists. Lord Garvagh, formerly Leopold Canning, and one of the very first Irishmen to motor, died aged 78 in July 1956.
THE FIRST MOTOR MUSEUM: The world's first motor museum was founded by the proprietor of the Motor magazine, Edmund Dangerfield, as early as 1912. Located at Waring Galleries, 175 Oxford Street, London, the idea had been around for some time and by January 1902, the Motor Car Journal had commented: "It would be rather interesting to start an enquiry as to where the oldest car in England is, of the petrol type. One day we may come to regard it as a precious relic."
Various attempts to establish a motor museum over the next few years came to naught due to a general lack of interest. In 1910, an 1894 Panhard was bought by public subscription for £100 and presented to the Science Museum in South Kensington. Edmund Dangerfield had the idea of founding a national collection of motor vehicles and approached the Science Museum only to be advised that they could not envisage providing space for more than two or three cars. As a result, Dangerfield went ahead independently with his project.
When the Motor Museum opened to the public in 1912, it had a total of 40 exhibits including such historic vehicles as an 1861 Crompton steam car; the first Wolesley of 1895; the 1895 three-wheeler of J H Knight; an 1894 Bremer and an 1895 Holden motor cycle. Following a move to premises at Crystal Palace, the museum was forced to close with the outbreak of the first World War in 1914 as the space it occupied was required for other purposes. The collection was dispersed; some were returned to donors but others, many of great historic interest, apparently dumped without cover on waste ground near Charing Cross Station where they slowly disintegrated over the following years.