Russian sociable, Hooper and co, 1898
This Russian sociable is a four-wheeled, open topped carriage designed to be pulled by one or two horses. It was built in 1898 by Hooper and Co in London at the request of Prince Edward.
This carriage has six seats in total with two at the front including the driver’s seat, and four passenger seats in the open topped back. This back passenger area has foldable black leather hoods.
The sociable was painted black with red lines, the livery for the British royal family which they used for most of the 20th century. The upholstery of the sociable is primarily black leather and blue velvet seating.
The undercarriage of the sociable does not have brakes. There is a small plate at the front which includes the makers mark ‘Hooper and Co, No.11, London’.
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A sociable (short for sociable coach) is a large open-topped carriage characterised by two sets of double seats facing each other, allowing for comfortable socialising during drives. Sociables (like this one) often had foldable hoods for the back passengers' seats, giving them optional protection from the weather.
This Russian sociable was owned by the British Royal family. It was a popular carriage style with Queen Victoria’s family, who had several. The first Russian sociable owned by the royal family was a gift from a Russian Tsar to the then Princess Alexandra, wife of Queen Victoria’s eldest son Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII). The Prince and Princess of Wales liked the carriage so much that they got prestigious coachbuilder Hooper and Co to create copies through various means. In 1888 they purchased a second-hand French sociable in Lyon, and had it shortened and refurbished to have its paintwork, heraldry, lining, handles and caps match the original style of the ‘Russian Sociable’. Later in 1898 they ordered Hoopers and Co to build this Russian sociable.
This Russian sociable remained a royal favourite: Queen Elizabeth II frequently used it up until 2015.
- Measurements:
-
overall: 1810 mm x 1650 mm x 3950 mm,
- Materials:
- wood (unidentified) , metal (unknown) , paint , leather and textile
- Object Number:
- 1936-603/1
- type:
- sociable
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
