Last remaining Royal Mail coach that was once attacked by A LION up for sale

The 200 year old horse-drawn carriage harks back to the golden age of the Royal Mail when town clocks could be set by their arrival, crowds gathered along the route to see them speed by and its operators were fined if the they were even a minute late.

The red and black wooden wagon was known as 'Quicksilver' because it was the fastest coach in the land on its regular run from London to Falmouth in Cornwall.

However, it went down in history for a little-known but extraordinary incident involving a runaway lion in the English countryside in 1816.

As the coach rode through the hamlet of Winterslow, Wilts, it was pounced on by the beast that had bolted from a travelling menagerie on Salisbury Plain.

The lion mauled one of the horses, clamping its jaws around the animal's neck, while the petrified postal workers fled into a nearby pub and locked themselves in.

The attack stopped when the menagerie owner arrived and used his pet dog to distract the fearsome creature.

Afterwards the postal workers climbed back on Quicksilver and resumed their night-time journey and were only 45 minutes late delivering the mail.

As a result the carriage was the subject of numerous paintings and even adorned the front of Christmas cards.

It has been housed in a transport museum in Yorkshire for many years but is now being sold at auction with a pre-sale estimate of between £50,000 to £70,000.

Rob Hubbard, of auctioneers Bonhams, said: “This is the only Royal Mail coach remaining. Most of them were scrapped after use or broken up for parts.

“It is largely in original condition and hasn't seen a lick of paint since it was first made. It has had some running repairs to it but it is largely preserved rather than conserved which makes it very attractive.

“It could still be used today and shown at events like the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show.”

The coaches were introduced to British roads in the late 17th century.

They were made by coachbuilders Vidler and leased to the Royal Mail who employed the postal workers and security guard on board.

The coaches were given the right of way over all other transport of the day and would travel overnight to reach towns across the country.

At the back of the coach there was a seat for the guard who was armed with a blunderbuss firearm to see off highwaymen while the coachman sat at the front on a roof seat.

Inside there was a seating compartment for four people in the upholstered body of the coach with room for two more on the front seat next to the coachman.

The sacks of mail were stored in the rear boot under the guard's feet.

Quicksilver was actually numbered '209' and the front panels display the initials of the 'GR' for George Rex - the King - in gold leaf.

The coaches were used until the 1830s when they were superseded by the railways and steam locomotive engines.

The sale takes place on December 10.