Historic Coach on Display

Mount Stewart House & Gardens

Mount Stewart Estate in Newtownards opens its historic house and world class gardens for spring on Saturday 13 March. Visitors can look forward to adding some pomp and ceremony to their visit by viewing the latest addition on display at the estate - the Marquess of Londonderry’s magnificent State Coach, recently restored by the National Trust.

This coach, which dates back to 1880s, was used by the Londonderry family to travel to the coronations of Edward VII, George V and George VI, as well as royal weddings and great state occasions in London . A few years ago, the National Trust approached the current Marquess of Londonderry who owns the coach, with the aim of restoring and conserving this historically important artefact. And now, after months of restoration by National Trust experts and with an project investment of around £100,000 the coach will now be displayed in all its grand glory at Mount Stewart .

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Londonderry family had several homes across the UK including Mount Stewart , travelling frequently between them with several carriages kept at each residence, suitable for a variety of uses. This particular coach would have only ever been used for state occasions and is now in Northern Ireland for the first time where previously it remained at the family’s other home, Londonderry House in Park Lane London . Very few state coaches now survive and the National Trust have four examples of such carriages which can be seen at Powis Castle Wales, Tatton Park Cheshire, Arlington Court Devon and now here in Northern Ireland.

Frances Bailey National Trust Curator commented “As a conservation charity, we are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to invest in the restoration of the Londonderry State Coach. We have gathered really interesting stories, coronation footage, old images of the coach and the people associated with it; to give visitors a strong sense of what this grand vehicle would have been used for and of the important aristocratic family it belongs to”.

The late Lady Mairi Bury who sadly passed away in 2009 remembered the coach well, recalling the time when her parents the Marquess and Marchioness of Londonderry attended their coronation of George VI in 1937 whilst wearing their grand robes. This was also the last time the coach was ever used. Lady Mairi was a keen photographer at that time and took some snaps of her parents on their procession to Westminster Abbey for the great event. The images portray the excitement of the day and show the crowd that had gathered outside their London home to see the carriage set off.

These photographs, other stories and the splendid coach can be viewed at Mount Stewart when it officially opens for the spring season on Saturday March 13. Visitors can learn about the coach, the Londonderry family, as well as the staffing of grand houses, how a coach differs from a chariot and how footman Arthur Inch managed to find true love despite long gruelling working hours - a real must see for spring!