The 1903 motor car rally

The motor car has been with us for well over a century and in that time it has progressed from a curiosity to a necessity while changing the appearance of our towns and villages which are now filled with vehicles and their associated paraphernalia.

But one hundred years ago, the automobile was a rare sight on the roads and the first to be seen in Market Deeping was on Tuesday 29th June 1897 when a car driven by two Norfolk men passed through on their journey across England in a 4½ h p Arnold Victoria at an average speed of 12 mph. Such was the excitement that they gave several people a short run in the vehicle for which each paid sixpence.

Imagine then the pleasure and anticipation when six years later, the Lincolnshire Automobile Club chose to hold a rally of its members in Market Deeping in the summer of 1903.

The club had been founded only three years before, one of the first motoring organisations in the country, and is still in existence as the Lincolnshire Louth Motor Club after amalgamation in 1976. At that time, there were almost 100 members, mostly professional men such as doctors who could afford the luxury of buying and running a motor car and many of them agreed to make the run to Market Deeping on Saturday 13th June.

The day was dull and overcast and some drivers experienced heavy rain on the way but the weather failed to dent their enthusiasm and as their cars and motor cycles arrived, they lined up outside the Town Hall where for the first hour they were on hand to enable a curious crowd inspect the vehicles and talk to their owners about running costs and performance, a particularly controversial topic at the time when the speed limit on the roads was the subject of discussion at government level.

Arrangements for the visit had been made by one of the club’s local members, George Linnell, a chemist with a shop in the Market Place, who was also an enthusiastic motorist and proud owner of an 8 h p Marshall Belize which joined the display.

Afterwards, the guests were entertained to refreshments at his home where a string band provided the music until it was time to leave. Their hosts, however, members of the Market Deeping Automobile Club, continued the day’s celebrations with a special dinner at the New Inn [now the Deeping Stage] to mark a successful rally and one that became a talking point in the town for many weeks to come.

Return to Market Deeping