May 11, 1848.
A black carriage with gilded edges and windows covered by dark blue serge curtains was being drawn by two tall bay horses, leaving the city of London, heading towards Windsor Castle located in Berkshire County, southeastern England.
Just outside London, the carriage sped along a rural road paved with a mix of gravel and cement, slightly bumpy, flanked by green lawns. On the lawns, herds of cattle and sheep wandered leisurely, while short shepherds reclined on the grass, gazing up at the still-industrialized blue sky.
Further away lay rows of houses, some with smoke rising from their chimneys. Listening intently through the wind, one could hear the distant church bells, contrasting with the industrialized atmosphere of London, rural times seemed to be stuck in the medieval era.
