The suburban life of a large midland town was a pageant of snobbery. ….The social position of everyone was estimated in terms of money. The principal divisions were no-carriage people, one-horse-carriage people and pair-horse-carriage people. During my childhood we rose from a sort of phaeton driven by my father to a one-horse brougham for wet weather, and /
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a barouche with coachman in livery for fine days. If you went to a party in your own carriage you left all your wraps in the carriage and entered the house ready to go straight into the room where your hostess was waiting to receive her guests. To arrive cloaked and booted and to have to leave wraps and overshoes in the cloak room meant you had either walked or come in a hired cab.
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