Barkway Carriage Wash in Hertfordshire is believed to be the earliest known example of a ‘modern-day car wash’. A carriage wash served 2 purposes: cleaning coach wheels and nameplates while also soaking the wheels to prevent wood shrinkage from metal rims. Barkway was an important stopover en route from London to Cambridge and the north of England during the heyday of the coaching era. It was known to have been used into the 20th century until carriages were replaced with motor cars. | Historic