Press release published Friday 06 October 2006
It may not reach more than five miles an hour, weighs nearly three tonnes and has only six horsepower (although they are particularly powerful horses) , but Britons can be justly proud that the Lord Mayor’s Coach is once again being prepared for this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show. After all, how many vehicles remain road-worthy for almost 250 years? Built in 1757, and so predating the establishment of the United States by almost 10 years, this testament to British design will carry the City’s new Lord Mayor as he’s welcomed into office at the 783rd Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 11th November.
Although it lacks the sleek lines of a Lamborghini or a Porsche, the Lord Mayor’s Coach is every bit a design classic. Its distinctively elaborate Rococo exterior is complemented by the painted panels of Italian artist Giovanni Battista Cipriani, the interior is richly upholstered and covered in red silk, with a dyed red sheepskin rug. It may not have heating or air-conditioning, but there are courtesy lights, provided by a customised 24 volt system. And who needs a radio or in-car DVD player? The Lord Mayor’s Coach comes with the roar of the crowd and the stunningly beautiful floats of the Lord Mayor’s Show. There’s nothing standard about this vehicle.
After Sir Gilbert Heathcote, the Lord Mayor in 1711, broke his leg while on horseback in the parade (having been unseated by a drunken flower girl), it was decided that a coach would be a preferable form of transport. The present coach was built in 1757 by Joseph Berry, costing £1,065.0s.3d (an almost unprecedented sum for a carriage not belonging to royalty), and taking six months to complete. 250 years later, it remains a prime attraction in the Lord Mayor’s Show, a highlight of a trip to the London Museum, and now is insured for £1.5 million. With hindsight, it seems to have been worth every penny, farthing and crown.
As a rediscovery and celebration of what it means to be British, the Lord Mayor’s Show has been unparalleled throughout its near-800 year history. This year is no exception, with more than 70 floats, 250 fascinating vehicles, dozens of bands of all shapes and sizes, over 6000 participants, topped off by a magnificent fireworks celebration – meaning it is set to be the biggest, most diverse and most vibrant year since the inception of the Lord Mayor’s Show.
On Saturday 11th November, the largest and most eclectic parade of its kind will wind its way through the City of London. Find a good spot and see a little piece of living history.