The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

Why is the Run, run on a November Sunday rather than a Sunday in the summer or when it is warmer? This is the question that is most asked.
It all dates back to November 14^th 1896, from just pass midnight that day, the "Locomotives on the Highway Act" came into force. Saturday 14^th saw the first Run and it is now known as a red-letter day in the history of British motoring.

The Emancipation Run from London to Brighton celebrates the passing into law of the "Locomotives on the Highway Act", which raised the speed limit for 'Light Locomotives' from 4 miles per hour to 14 mph. This was reduced to 12 mph before the act come into force. The act abolished the requirement for the car to be preceded by a man on foot. 

The above is taken from the  History page of  http://www.vccofgb.co.uk/lontobri/history.html .

We are lucky in  that the run cones through Horley and has a half way stop over outside The George Hotel in the centre of the old part of Crawley.

As I got my timing wrong for a shopping expdition for new shoes this morning (I was there at 10:30 - shops didn't open 'til 11 O' clock) I took a quick look at the cars as they took their break.

This shows a car driving up to the parking area. the weather had been terrible with heavy rain but it had finally stopped by the time I arrived in Crawley.

Cars parked outside The George hotel, a former coaching inn on the High Street. In its time it was one of the most important in Sussex, because of its location halfway between the capital city, London, and the fashionable seaside resort of Brighton.

One or two cars were having a few ongoing repairs.

In the distance is the crow statue. the inscription reads:

GOLDEN TREE

 JOSS SMITH – 2006 

The artwork stands on the site of the town’s old market cross at a time when Crawley was an ancient junction and market place within the Weald covered once by dense Forests. The charcoal from these forests was used to create early iron tools such as the axe head depicted within the bronze section of the sculpture many of which have been found locally. The black Granite Anvil represents the local history of iron working in the area. The base is a York Sandstone Acorn cup to depict the Jurassic limestone under the area and the fact that Crawley was once forest. The sculpture is topped by two crows to remind us that Crawley was originally called Crow Lea – a place of crows. 

The oldest car I saw : No24 (they are numbered  oldest first)