![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/HansomCab.jpg/275px-HansomCab.jpg)
Hansom cab and driver. A hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. Originally known as the Hansom safety cab, its purpose was to combine speed with safety, with a low centre of gravity that was essential for safe cornering.