Highgate Hill Cable Tramway
Summary
The Highgate Hill Cable Tramway had, to say the least, a chequered history, passing through several hands, and even closing for over four years in the 1890s. A single photograph taken in the year of opening (1884) indicates that conductors were issued with single-breasted jackets with stand-up collars and epaulettes; whilst these garments were piped, it is unclear whether they bore any insignia. Conductors also wore a bandolier-type cash-bag strap diagonally across one shoulder. Caps were of the drooping-peak type; they bore an oval cap badge, probably of embroidered cloth, which possibly bore company or system initials, a number and the grade. Drivers on the other hand were issued with longer, double-breasted coats with lapels and epaulettes, again piped; the collars appear to have borne three embroidered initials on each side, possibly system or company initials. It is unclear what caps drivers wore, as the one surviving photograph shows the subject wearing an informal hat. These uniforms were virtually identical to those used on Bath Tramways between 1884 and 1888, when it was owned by the Patent Cable Tramways Corporation; the latter was in fact the constructor of the Highgate Hill Tramway, and was intimately involved with the companies set up to operate it, before its failure in 1888.
Photographs taken in the early 1890s clearly show both conductors and drivers wearing smart but informal attire, namely, jacket, shirt and tie (and sometimes a waistcoat) and the fashionable headgear of the day, invariably the bowler hat.
Photographs taken between the re-opening of 1896 and final closure in 1909, and which show staff, are few and far between, but do suggest that drivers continued to wear informal attire. Conductors on the other hand may have been issued with jackets and soft-topped caps, though this is based on a single photograph that may not be representative.
Drivers and conductors always wore enamel Public Carriage Office licences (see link) when working on the trams.
In view of the extreme shortness of the line, it is believed that the company did not see fit to employ inspectors.
For a history of the Highgate Hill Cable Tramway, see: 'London County Council Tramways Volume 2, North London' by E R Oakley; The London Tramways History Group (1991).
Images
Cable tram drivers and conductors
Bogie Cable Tram No 9, evidently brand new, posed for the camera at the top of the line in August 1884, the year the line opened. Photograph courtesy of the National Tramway Museum.
A blow-up of the above photo showing the driver (standing on the platform). Although he has a trilby-style hat, i.e., informal headgear, he is clearly wearing a uniform jacket; this is edged/piped in a different material than the main body of the jacket, and has three initials embroidered on the collars. The conductor (on the left) has a bandolier-like cash-bag strap, and is clearly wearing a drooping-peak cap with what would appear to be an embroidered cloth cap badge.
Tractor Car No 6 and a pristine trailer standing at the top of the line, possibly taken in the later 1880s or early 1990s given that the latter does not bear the name of the first owner, the Steep Grade Tramways and Works Company. As there are no passengers, this is in all likelihood a proving run, potentially taken after one of the many forced closures. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.
A blow-up of the above photo showing the conductor (possibly but not certainly) and another unidentified individual, both of whom are wearing informal attire. The conductor's PCO badge can just be made out hanging from his cash-bag strap at the bottom of his jacket.
Tractor Car No 5 and trailer — photo undated, but judging by the slightly faded paintwork and the tall bowler hats, probably taken in the late 1880s. Both the driver and conductor (the latter stood on the trailer platform) are wearing informal attire with bowler hats; the sole nod to officialdom are the Metropolitan Police-issued PCO licences, which both men are wearing. Photo courtesy of Dave Jones.
Tractor Car No 5 and Trailer No 3 stand at the Archway Tavern terminus — photo purportedly taken around the turn of the century. Photo in the public domain.
A blow-up of the above photo showing the driver and conductor. Whilst the driver is wearing informal attire, the conductor would appear to be wearing a uniform with a soft-topped cap, and possibly a uniform jacket, though this is by no means certain. Once again, both men are wearing enamel PCO licences.