Windsor Carriages
A British Tradition, Thoughtfully Evolved
Trade | Heritage | Hospitality
Windsor Carriages exists to continue a living Windsor tradition. We are custodians of a licensed horse-drawn Hackney Carriage trade whose lineage in Windsor stretches back more than 175 years and which we believe to be the last continuously operating Victorian horse-drawn Hackney Carriage licence of its kind in Britain.
Discover our story and how we remain part of the community we have served for generations. We continue Windsor’s historic horse-drawn taxi trade through thoughtfully hosted visits and events, where the carriage becomes one chapter of your visit or event to Windsor, bringing its landscape, people and stories closer.
How has a Victorian taxi
survived into the 21st century?
A LICENSE PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
1800’s
We were Windsor's taxis. Licensed horse-drawn hackney carriages carried residents and visitors through Windsor long before the motorcar.
1900’s
The motorcar arrived.
Hackney Carriages became the motor taxis we recognise today. We continued with the horse and carriage.
TODAY
The original licence. The trade still at work. More than a century later, Windsor Carriages remains part of Windsor's licensed Hackney Carriage trade.
The Coachmans Daughter
I grew up on Windsor’s carriages. My father drove them here for more than 50 years, and his passion for the horses, the trade and this remarkable place became mine.
My role has been to find a way for this Victorian trade to have a place in modern Windsor. Today, that responsibility is shared with the coachmen and families who work alongside us, carrying the trade forward. As The Coachman’s Daughter, I bring its inherited stories and working knowledge into each visit, welcoming guests, interpreting the places we pass and making the connection between Windsor’s history and the living tradition before them.
In this short film, I share a little of that story, and what it means to be its custodian today.
A Living Windsor Trade
Our Horses
Our horses are working horses, not entertainment, and the way we plan each visit begins with them.
Visits will often begin and end in different places, allowing a working day to feel much like an ordinary exercise day: moving forward through the landscape rather than repeatedly travelling the same route.
Variety helps keep their work interesting, their minds engaged and their natural curiosity alive.
It is a simple principle: we shape the work around the horse, rather than the horse around the work.
Our Stories
Some of our stories are carried in the carriages themselves.
Our historic Windsor Landau passed from one coachman to the next, connecting generations of working lives in the town.
We are preparing for its return to Windsor in 2027. Its restoration continues the same responsibility: caring for the carriage, preserving its stories and passing both to another generation.
Our Windsor
Operating a Victorian carriage trade in modern Windsor takes rather more than knowing the way.
The Royal town and working Estate are constantly changing. Roads close, ceremonies take place, Estate life continues and timings move. Behind each visit is a local team who understand how Windsor works and can quietly adapt around it.
We introduce you to a part of Windsor you might otherwise never discover. You come to visit Windsor. We want you to leave having felt it.
Hosted Quietly. Remembered For Years.
Personally Arranged. Beautifully Hosted.
Every occasion begins with a conversation.
From intimate family visits and private celebrations to international leadership gatherings and grand events, we thoughtfully arrange each occasion around the people joining us.
Perhaps that means discovering the estate by historic carriage, exploring Windsor Castle with a private guide, sharing a memorable lunch or bringing together something rather more extraordinary.
No prescribed packages. No two occasions quite alike.
From meeting your horse and carriage team to travelling into the wider Estate, discover what your private time with Windsor Carriages might actually feel like.
When the motorcar arrived, Windsor's taxis changed.
We didn't.
Discover how a horse-drawn Hackney Carriage trade found a place in modern Windsor without losing the traditions at its heart.
Perhaps the question we are asked most often.
The answer lies in how Windsor has changed, how our trade operates today and why the welfare of the horses at its heart has shaped the way we choose to work.
Only need the carriage chapter? Our carriages can become one remarkable part of a wider visit or event. Bringing horses and historic carriages into a busy working town and Royal Estate requires careful planning. We work closely with established travel advisors, concierge teams and event organisers to incorporate the carriage safely and seamlessly within their wider arrangements.
Licensed Since 1849.
Still In Trade
Horse’s Welfare Above All
Personally Hosted Private Visits
Giving Back To Windsor
Trade - Heritage - Tradition - Service
