Windsor Hackney Carriage History
Windsor Coachmen
Thinking back to the 1840’s in England, while many coachmen would have owned their own horses, few would have possessed a passenger vehicle suitable for licensed Hackney carriage work. The Windsor Landau is a tangible link to the town’s carriage trade, preserved through generations of coachmen. It is thought that the simple fact it was passed with the Hackney carriage licence helped protect it for nearly two centuries. Successive coachmen cared for the Landau as part of their working lives. Today, its preservation connects the historic carriage with the people, skills and stories that have sustained Windsor’s carriage trade.
Passed from licence to licence, coachman to coachman, the Landau endured. Its survival is not the result of chance or ownership, but of continuity, responsibility, and duty. That continuity was not theoretical. It rested on something tangible, a single carriage entrusted to each generation in turn.
Preparing for a return to Windsor in 2027
We are working towards the Landau’s return to Windsor in 2027. Its restoration continues a responsibility passed between generations of coachmen: to care for the carriage and carry its story forward.
The Windsor Landau
For more than two centuries, Windsor’s carriages have been part of the town’s daily life—serving its people, welcoming its visitors, and carrying forward an increasingly rare living tradition.
Today, we are working to ensure this story is not forgotten. Our Landau Restoration Project will bring Windsor’s oldest licensed taxi carriage back to the road, while our Hackney Carriage Rank campaign seeks to install a commemorative plaque on Windsor High Street, marking the site where horse-drawn taxis once stood in service until 1991.
These efforts reflect our passion for heritage—not just as history, but as something alive, meaningful, and still carried on today through Windsor Carriages. By preserving the Landau and commemorating the rank, we hope future generations will remember Windsor’s place in transport history, just as we remain committed to continuing it.
If you would like to support the restoration or have a story about the history of Windsor’s carriages, we would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch and help us keep our story alive.
Marston’s Landau
Built by John Marston’s Carriage Works Ltd, a distinguished Birmingham coachbuilder active from the mid-19th to the early 20th century and widely recognised for award-winning craftsmanship and bespoke vehicles.
The landau was among the most prestigious carriage types of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. A full-bodied, four-wheeled carriage with a two-part folding roof and inward-facing seating, it was traditionally associated with formal arrivals and private travel, combining practicality with status.
Surviving examples by Marstons are now considered rare, with well-preserved landaus regarded as highly significant by collectors and historians alike.
Unique To Windsor
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A1860 – Built by Marstons of Birmingham for Sir Daniel Gooch of Clewer.
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1890 – Inherited by his son, Sir Daniel Fulthorpe Gooch, The Landau entered Windsor’s Hackney carriage service with coachman Daniel Chapman. In 1910, Chapman passed the carriage and licence to Joby Cooper.
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1890–2009 — The Landau served as a licensed Hackney carriage in Windsor, passing through generations of working coachmen before its retirement from service.
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2016 –The Royal Mews referred her to the Royal Warrant holders responsible for restoring Her Late Majesty’s own carriages, who placed the Landau into protected storage, where it has remained safely for nearly a decade.
Timeline of Windsor Coachmen & The Landau
1860
The Windsor Landau carriage was built in 1860 by John Marston Coach builders of Birmingham and purchased new by Sir Daniel Gooch of Clewer Park, Windsor (1816 - 1889). It would have served as the family’s principal form of transport.
1890
Sir Daniel Gooch’s son sold the Landau into service on the Windsor Hackney carriage rank to coachman Daniel Chapman, (1863 - 1940). Daniel passed the license and carriage to Joby Cooper (1872 - 1958) in 1910.
1939
As motor vehicles replaced horse-drawn transport, Windsor’s established horse-drawn licences reduced in number. By the 1960s, only three remained. The Landau was driven by George Paget of Eton Wick (1914–2002), a well-known Windsor figure, rag-and-bone man, and Carry On film carriage master. Watch a Clip of George & The Landau here.
1982
The Landau was passed to John Seear (1939 - 2016) By the 1980s, only two Windsor carriages remained, making Windsor Carriages the oldest licensed horse-drawn Hackney carriage still in operation. Watch a Video of John on The Long Walk Here.
Alongside John, Coachman Conway (1925 - 1998) and Raymond Ford (1927 - 2000), known locally as the Ford Brothers, also the Pig Brothers, as they reared pigs, who worked with their show-standard black mare, Bunchy.
2009
The Landau was retired from service in 2009 and moved to Her Majesty’s coachbuilders, Rowland & Son, for restoration. A fundraising campaign launched in 2019 to return the carriage to working condition in Windsor.
Picture Post Card Memories
I cannot pretend this project is not personal. I grew up with this carriage. I have always known her history and felt her place in Windsor instinctively.
I remember Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II pausing to speak with the coachmen. For me, this is lived memory: the horses, the people and the working days that connect this carriage to Windsor.
Pictured in the early 1990s, John Seear, Windsor coachman, drives Welsh Cob brothers Billy and Icarus with our Landau carriage — a scene that reflects generations of working tradition.
Today, I continue that custodianship alongside the coachmen and families who help sustain the trade. As The Coachman’s Daughter, my role is to care for this inheritance, share its stories with our guests and pass its knowledge to another generation.
The Windsor Hackney Carriage Rank
We are working on a campaign to honour Windsor’s unique place in transport history with the installation of a commemorative plaque.
For over a century, Windsor’s horse-drawn Hackney carriages stood outside the Curfew Tower, serving residents and visitors until the rank closed in 1991. The tradition formed part of a much longer history of licensed public carriage transport in Windsor.
Remembering Windsor’s horse-drawn Hackney carriage rank and the generations of coachmen and horses who worked there.
Why It Matters?
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A living tradition – Unlike most towns that transitioned fully to motorised taxis, Windsor’s coachmen preserved this heritage through generations, passing their licensing down directly from coachman to coachman.
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Civic history – The rank stood as a daily reminder of Windsor’s distinctive character, where history and modern life met on the High Street.
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Honouring horses and people – The plaque will recognise not just the coachmen, but also the working horses whose service shaped everyday life in the town.
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Continuity today – Windsor Carriages carries the trade forward through individually planned private visits and events, bringing its horses, coachmen and inherited stories into the life of Windsor today.
THOUGHTFULLY GUIDED & HOSTED
For some visits, this looks intimate and familial. For others, it extends to estate luncheons, team gatherings up to 96 guests, or occasions held beneath the oaks. However it takes shape, your experience is guided, coordinated, and cared for, so you can remain present, rather than managing the details.
‘Thank you for all the careful planning and patience. Our clients were absolutely delighted"
Windsor Hospitality, Properly Hosted
