This is Archer Cowley’s famous letterhead showing their technical and financial progress in the 44 years since founding of the firm by James Archer, brother of Alfred George Archer, in 1857. The letterhead shows the firm’s steam traction engine hauling three wagons in a road-train, which, at that time, was limited by statute to a maximum of 5 mph. This has to be compared with the 100 mph attained by JG Churchward’s “City of Truro” GWR steam engine on the ‘Ocean Mails’ express in 1904. One major secret of James Archer’s business success lay in his ‘container’ system for furniture removals enabling the speed of the railways to be coupled with a door-to-door ‘no-unloading-until-it-reaches-its-destination’ secuity and simplicity, which plainly appealed to his customers.