The Postcard
A postally unused postcard that was published in 1986 by the Museum of London. On the back of the card is printed:
'The Museum of London.
The Lord Mayor's State Coach 1757.
The centrepiece of the Lord Mayor's
Show each year is the gilded wood
coach with panel paintings attributed
to G. B. Cipriani.'
The Lord Mayor of London's State Coach
The Lord Mayor of London's State Coach, which is on display in the Museum of London, is, along with the Queen's Gold State Coach and the Speaker's State Coach, one of the three great State Coaches of the United Kingdom.
Unlike the other two (which are only used on rare occasions such as Coronations) the Lord Mayor's Coach is used annually at the Lord Mayor's Show, and as such it is deemed to be the oldest ceremonial vehicle in regular use in the world.
Details of the Design
The carriage is of the type known as a Berlin. It is constructed substantially of wood, which is richly carved, ornamented and gilded. The body of the coach was attached to the undercarriage by four thick leather straps, each held in place by a huge, intricately decorated gilt buckle featuring the City's coat of arms. Today, the carriage is supported by Kevlar bands, although they are disguised by more traditional-looking leather straps.
The roof of the coach is painted red with gilded ornamentation; there was formerly a central carved feature (depicting four boys holding baskets of fruit) only the base of which now remains.
There is a large box seat in front for the coachman, whose foot-rest is in the shape of a scallop shell.
The Lord Mayor's Coach has undergone a number of restorations, with the wheels being replaced three times in the 18th. century.
On all four sides of the coach there are painted panels attributed to renowned carriage painter Giovanni Cipriani. Each shows an allegorical scene:
The front panel shows figures representing Faith, Hope and Charity (Hope is shown pointing towards the dome of St Paul's Cathedral).
The rear panels depict a figure representing the City of London receiving gifts from Riches and Plenty, Trade and Commerce.
The right-hand panels include a Mayor being presented to the figure of the City, with the spire of Old St Paul's Cathedral in the background.
The left-hand panels include the god Mars pointing to a scroll held by Truth on which is inscribed the name of the first Mayor, Henri Fitz Alwin.
The ceiling of coach has twice been painted blue, rather than the current red, and the Museum of London estimates there to be approximately 100 different layers of paint.
The carriage measures 6.55 m (21.5 ft) in length and 2.23 m (7.3 ft) in width, with a height of 3.17 m (10.4 ft). The coach weighs 2.9 tonnes.
History of the Lord Mayor's State Coach
From 1711 the Lord Mayor of London was transported around the city using a hired coach, following an incident where the incumbent, Gilbert Heathcote, was unseated from his horse by a drunken flower girl in 1710, breaking his leg.
This arrangement continued until 1757, when city banker and Lord Mayor Elect, Sir Charles Asgill, persuaded the aldermen to finance the purchase of a 'new Grand State Coach'.
The coach was designed by the sculptor and architect Sir Robert Taylor, who had previously worked on private commissions for Asgill, as well designing the pediment fronting The Mansion House.
The coach was commissioned on the 4th. April 1757 and completed in good time for Asgill's inauguration on the 9th. November 1757. It was constructed by Joseph Berry, of Leather Lane, Holborn, at a total cost of £850.
Since then, the coach has been used regularly, generally once a year, by successive Lord Mayors. It has been more or less regularly maintained over two and a half centuries of use, and periodically re-gilded. The last major overhaul was in 1952, when the carriage was entirely stripped down and cleaned, with parts repaired or replaced where necessary and the wood preserved and strengthened, before being re-gilded, re-varnished, reupholstered.
Overall, though, changes to the original design have been minimal: an interior lamp was added in 1939, and brakes were only installed in 1951.
Present-Day Use of the Lord Mayor's State Coach
Each November, the coach is used to convey the Lord Mayor from the Mansion House to the Royal Courts of Justice where they swear allegiance to The Crown, travelling at the rear of the long procession that constitutes the Lord Mayor's Show.
The coach is pulled by a team of six shire horses, with the front pair being ridden by a postillion and the other two pairs driven by a coachman from the box seat.
When not in use, the coach is kept at the Museum of London but is currently (2022) not on display. In advance of the Show, it is moved to a temporary glass carriage house outside the Guildhall, where passers-by can see it being made ready for the procession.
The State Harness and the City Marshal's Saddlery are kept in the Park Street Coach House with the other carriages of the Corporation.
The Corporation also owns six other 'semi-state' carriages (two semi-state coaches and four dress chariots) four of which are also used in the Lord Mayor's Show. They are used to transport other senior dignitaries of the Corporation: the Chief Commoner and the Secondary, the Lay Sheriff, the Aldermanic Sheriff and the outgoing Lord Mayor and Chaplain.
They are elegant carriages with plain black painted roofs and the bodies either maroon, green or blue; each has the City arms painted on its doors. In 2010 the Corporation attempted to sell two of these carriages to raise funds, but failed to attract the desired amount of money, and they remain available for standby.
Horses
Aside from the six shire horses drawing the state coach which are provided by Waldburg Shires of Huntingdon, the horses and attendants used in the Lord Mayor's Show are provided on a 'grace and favour' arrangement by the Royal Mews which also provides other carriages where required.
