William James Frecklington MVO, OAM, known as "W. J." or "Jim" (born c.1949 in Parkes, NSW, Australia), is a maker of carriages.[1][2]
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He is an old boy of The Scots College in Sydney, graduating in 1968.[3]
After working in the Arctic, he moved to England, and was engaged at Windsor Castle, and later moved to the Royal Mews in London, caring for the Royal ceremonial horses and driving the carriages on ceremonial occasions. He also served as an outrider at Ascot.
In 1977 he was invited to manage the Queen's Silver Jubilee Exhibition during its tour of Australia, and following that he built a replica of Edward VII's 1902 State Landau.[4]
He then went on to build Queen Elizabeth's Australian State Coach, which was presented to the Queen on the occasion of the Australian Bicentennial in 1988.[5]
A new British state coach constructed on Frecklington's initiative, the Diamond Jubilee State Coach (also known as the State Coach Britannia), was first used during the State Opening of Parliament in June 2014.[6]
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was also used in the coronation of King Charles III.[7]
In April 2023 it was reported that Frecklington was constructing a new coach, but he has kept the details secret.[8]
References
edit- ^ North Heads Sanctuary Foundation
- ^ Jim Frecklington coach builder recalls Dubbo-built Australian State Coach for Royals, The Land
- ^ The Scots College (2020). "The Lion Lang and Syne" (PDF).
- ^ "The Carriage & Equestrian Sales Review of 2011. Thimbleby & Shorland". 2011. p. 1. Fig.2
- ^ The Monarchy Today > Ceremony and symbol > Transport > Carriages Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tom Rowley (4 June 2014). "Queen's Speech: a timeless new coach, only eight years too late". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Australian-made coach to feature in King Charles' coronation". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Barlass, Tim (29 April 2023). "Charles' coronation coach was made in Manly and its maker has a new secret project". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 May 2023.