Brigg Matters Issue 68 Spring 2023

A NEW COACH FOR THE KING
O.H. Boyd
Woodcarver to the Palace
For some years work has been quietly continuing with
the construction of a new coach for the new king by
the Royal Coachbuilder, Jim Frecklington MVO, OAM,
FAIHA. This new coach brings comfort and security to the
pageantry that we as a nation do so well and complies
with our late Queen Elizabeth ll’s wishes for this to
happen.
The new king’s coach is extra special as there hasn’t
been an enclosed coach made specifically for a king for
261 years; all the others have been made for female
monarchs or acquired externally. The existing coaches,
with the exception of the Diamond Jubilee State Coach,
despite being beautifully made, were built for their times
when security was not such an issue.
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Royal coachbuilder Jim Frecklington (left), former Dean of Westminster John Hall and OH
Boyd who sculpted the crown that will go on top. The picture was taken at a ceremony in
Westminster Abbey to bless the crown ©Yorkshire Post
The stable of coaches
contained at the
Royal Mews are all
beautifully maintained
of course, but they
are also very old and
aging, as well as being
uncomfortable to
ride in. In particular,
the familiar Gold
Coronation State
Coach, built for King
George lll but not
completed in time for
his coronation, was not
called into coronation
service for another
60 years when King
George lV rode in it
to his Coronation in
1821 although it was
used for the State
Opening of Parliament
in the interim. The
Coronation State Gold
Coach, with which
we are all familiar, is
beautifully made and
splendid, but extremely
uncomfortable for the
occupants. Being a
large coach suspended
on leather straps, it is
subject to pitch, roll
and yaw, all capable of
inducing awful motion
sickness, so much so
that King George IV
likened the ride to
“being aboard a ship
tossing in a rough sea.”
22 Brigg Matters
Brigg Matters 23