Louise Bazalgette

Louise Bazalgette born Louise Seville (1846 – 9 March 1918) was an early British motorist. She was present at the Emancipation Run in 1896 when car owners celebrated being able to exceed 4 mph. She was widely reported as a woman who was making long trips in a car. She was the only woman to enter the three week long Thousand Mile Trial in 1900.

Life Bazalgette was born in 1845 or 1846 in Essex where her father John Seville was a farmer. She was living in London in 1870 when she married George Bazalgette. He was fifteen years older than her and a marine. The noted civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette was her husband's cousin. Her husband died in 1885 and she moved and started a boarding house. near to where Bazalgette was now living off Portman Square. Bazalgette bought a car and her journeys made the newspapers because they were considered long and they were made by a woman driver.

Bazelgette and her friend Hewetson were photographed at the historic "emancipation run" on 14 November 1896, which is still celebrated by the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. This was the first time that cars were allowed to do 14 mph and it was the first meeting of the Automobile Club (for male drivers). Bazelgette was on an Arnold motor car.

In 1900 she was the only woman to enter the Thousand Mile Trial in 1900. The event was a test of drivers but its purpose was to popularise motoring. She completed the course which ran from 23 April to 12 May starting and ending in London with Edinburgh being their destination. She drove over 560 miles and her mechanic drove 530 miles in their car that was open to the wet and windy weather.