David Musgrove explores what the life of celebrity pedestrian Bob Carlisle can reveal about a Victorian revolution in athleticism, transport, advertising and consumer goods
At the turn of the 20th century, bicycles and motor cars became fixtures on Britain’s roads. Bob Carlisle, the original ‘wheelbarrow pedestrian’, found himself overtaken in this transport revolution. In the final episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove considers how Carlisle’s pedestrian career helps us understand major changes in society, from athleticism and transport to the boom in advertising and consumer goods.