The late 1800s saw the introduction of the motor car with a handful of manufacturers building primitive looking tricycles and four-wheeled vehicles. Karl Benz had created the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1885 with it being patented in January 1886 and released to the public later that year.
Benz introduced the Velo (aka the Velocipede) in 1894, becoming the first large scale production automobile. During the last years of the nineteenth century, Benz was the largest automobile company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899.
The First Mention of a Car in Newport
In November 1896 an advert appeared in the South Wales Argus for the Tredegar Show which would feature an exhibition of a motor car 'in motion'. The car in question was a Benz Patent motor car and would be exhibited on Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th November
An article published in the South Wales Argus on Tuesday 24th November, 1896 mentioned the upcoming appearance of the car.
Mr Charles D Phillips' special feature this year was the horseless carriage. It is one upon Benz's system, and amongst the first lot which journeyed from London to Brighton on the 14th [November].
The photo below is taken from the inaugural London to Brighton race on 14th November, 1896 and the car in front is a Benz Velo so it's very likely that Charles D Phillips brought the same model of car to Newport.
According to Bonhams, Benz made 181 cars of all types in 1896 so the one that visited Newport would have been quite a rarity. The image below is one that was auctioned in 2024.
A meeting of Monmouthshire County Council on Thursday 17th November, 1896 mentioned that a list of regulations for the use of motor cars on public roads had been drawn up but the matter was deferred as no vehicles had made an appearance in the district.
So was Charles D Phillips the first person in Newport to own a motor car?
Who Was Charles D Phillips?
Charles David Phillips was born in Newport on 26th December, 1845 and served an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer. He owned the Emlyn and Central Engineering Works (the Newport Works) which repairs locomotives, engines, boilers and manufactured other items.
He also manufactured canvas products and Emlyn Canvas still exists today beneath George Street Bridge.
He was also interested in agriculture and was an active participant in a variety of shows including the Royal Agricultural Society and the Bath and West of England Society. In addition, he manufactured and dealt in agricultural machinery and owned a farm in Gaer-fach is where the present day Gaer Inn is located.
Gaer-fach Farm, home of Charles D Phillips. Right photo is from 1933.
The following year after exhibiting a Benz car, Phillips was again displaying another vehicle at Lord Tredegar's Show in 1897. This time it was a Beeston motor tricyle and an intriguing 'motor shooting car'.
I'm not sure what the motor shooting car was but the Motor Scout was a vehicle that existed at the time with this image from 1898 showing The Maxim which featured a self-powered machine gun. The Maxim was built by Beeston so it's likely to be the one below, or a similar one, that was exhibited.
An article in the The Automotor Journal on 15th December, 1897 mentions the Beeston Motor Tricycle and how the 'good people of Newport' were astonished by the vehicle.
Even though the vehicle is a tricycle and has wheels more suited to a present-day bicycle, it did take part in the inaugural London to Brighton run and was the only British-made vehicle to enter and reach its destination.
Whilst researching this article I've already encountered different articles mentioning accidents, speeding and interactions with other vehicles so no doubt they'll appear in future articles here.
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