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Design for a state landau by Hooper & Co

1885

Design for a trap by Hooper & Co

Two designs by Hooper & Co

1885

Designs for carriages

1850-1900

This Hooded Mail Phaeton is a 4 wheeled carriage built by Holland and Holland coachmakers in London during the late 19th century. It can seat up to four people (including the driver) across two front seats under a foldable black leather hood, and two unprotected seats at the back (sometimes called rumble seats). This carriage would be pulled by a pair of horses. The mail phaeton has four grasshopper springs (the kind used on mail coaches), two of which are fixed at the rear via a cross-spring, and two fixed at the front. The carriage is painted dark blue with yellow lining (the livery of Sir John Miller, ex-royal equerry at the Buckingham Royal Mews), although this is not original. It has padded seating with blue velvet cushions with a yellow/gold trimming. The front seats are protected by a metal and black leather dash, which protects the front passengers from stones and mud kicked up by the horse/horses. The driver has access to a foot pedal which controls the spoon brakes that will stop the carriage. The wheels have brass hub caps which are engraved “Holland & Holland, London, W”.

Hooded mail phaeton, by Holland and Holland

1875-1900

[Commemorative booklet]Through Eight Reigns. 1807-1937 /Hooper & Co. (Coachbuilders) Ltd. 1937. [21p.; includes stuck-in photos of several coaches and cars, and of interior views of the new Park Royal factory]

Through Eight Reigns

1937

[Album of photos, press cuttings, articles and promotional literature re history of Hooper & Co. / Hooper & Co. (Coachbuilders) Ltd., ca.1961, although covering period 1899-1961. Includes articles, company advertisements, particulars of various state coaches, a 1956 report on Hoopers for the board of BSA, and numerous photos. The photos are of special coaches and motor cars, royal visits to Hoopers in the 1930s, the Hooper factory in the second world war and workshops in the 1950s. Includes also a lacquered coloured line drawing of a char-a-banc designed by HRH Prince Consort and built by Hoopers in 1845]

Album of photos

circa 1961

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’.

Russian sociable, Hooper and co, 1898

1898

Technical production files of Hooper and Company, describing the history of the production of bespoke motor vehicles for individual clients including members of the royal family, private individuals, foreign royalty and governments and the aristocracy. The contents include technical and design drawings, hand written notes, specifications, correspondence with clients about the design and production of the cars and original fabric, leather, carpet and metal swatches.

Hooper and Company Technical Production Files

circa 1940-1959; 1967; 1975