Phaetons were one of the most popular and common types of carriages seen in Victorian society and were one of the first carriages designed explicitly to be owner-driven. Owner-driven carriages became increasingly popular among the upper class during the early 19th century, in particular for racing and leisurely carriage driving.

Phaetons were very stylish and early motor cars adopted their likeness in their own designs. Phaeton style cars carried over common features of phaeton carriages, such as foldable hoods and only having two seats. Famous examples of ‘Phaeton body’ style automobiles are the 1930 Studebaker and the Cadillac v-16. Phaeton-style cars were also called spider/spyder (after a variation of phaeton carriage) which evolved into the contemporary term ‘roadster’ which are typically two-seater convertibles.

This phaeton was built by Barker and Co, a coachbuilding company founded in 1710 in Chandos Street, London. They specialised in the production of luxury coaches and carriages for the upper class and the British Royal family. With the rise of the automobile in the early twentieth century, Barker and Co started building car bodies for luxury motor manufacturers and were the recommended supplier of bodywork for early Rolls-Royce cars.

This carriage was one of several donated by King Edward VIII in 1936. Phaetons were popular with Queen Victoria especially, who personally owned several. This popularity continued throughout the Royal family, with King Edward VIII, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II who used an 1842 phaeton designed for her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria every year between 1978-2011 as part of the Trooping the Color parade at Horse Guards.

Phaetons were one of the most popular and common types of carriages seen in Victorian society and were one of the first carriages designed explicitly to be owner-driven. Owner-driven carriages became increasingly popular among the upper class during the early 19th century, in particular for racing and leisurely carriage driving.

Phaetons were very stylish and early motor cars adopted their likeness in their own designs. Phaeton style cars carried over common features of phaeton carriages, such as foldable hoods and only having two seats. Famous examples of ‘Phaeton body’ style automobiles are the 1930 Studebaker and the Cadillac v-16. Phaeton-style cars were also called spider/spyder (after a variation of phaeton carriage) which evolved into the contemporary term ‘roadster’ which are typically two-seater convertibles.

This phaeton was built by Barker and Co, a coachbuilding company founded in 1710 in Chandos Street, London. They specialised in the production of luxury coaches and carriages for the upper class and the British Royal family. With the rise of the automobile in the early twentieth century, Barker and Co started building car bodies for luxury motor manufacturers and were the recommended supplier of bodywork for early Rolls-Royce cars.

This carriage was one of several donated by King Edward VIII in 1936. Phaetons were popular with Queen Victoria especially, who personally owned several. This popularity continued throughout the Royal family, with King Edward VIII, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II who used an 1842 phaeton designed for her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria every year between 1978-2011 as part of the Trooping the Color parade at Horse Guards.