Towards the top of Chapel Street (west side); I note this groove presumably cut by continued use by carriages; whether or not this groove was shaped at first deliberately by a mason, remains to be seen; it obviously, in narrow streets, was essential not to be rubbing the hub of the wheel against buildings, or the rim against the kerbs. Chapel Street was, compared to the rest of Penzance, a double carriageway (helping to dispel the theory of its ancient age). Some stones show marks of wheels that did not follow the 'groove'.
Does anyone know anything about the design of carriage and wheel to say with any certainty when wheels had metal rims in 'polite society; these look to be quite narrow and may have been 'taxi' carriages? Any ideas, please?
