In 1991 a small group of horse drawn carriage enthusiasts came together to form The Carriage Foundation. The aim of the organisation was and still is to preserve and promote the care, preservation and interpretation of carriages as an integral part of the history of transport. Over the coming years new members joined and the founder members were able to share their knowledge and expertise with oth
ers ensuring a continuation of specialists in the field of horse drawn carriages. Representatives now offer advice to organisations worldwide. Recently core members have been considering how the organisation can be more beneficial to a wider public audience. With the Charity Commission recently granting The Carriage Foundation charitable status, we now aim to manage, support and seek funding for various carriage related projects. Initially a website will be created which will host our first major project: ‘Carriages of Britain’. The project will consist of a searchable and illustrated database of carriages within UK collections, essays, and a photographic archive. Initial work has identified over 1200 carriages in publically accessible collections which will all have an entry on the database. ‘Carriages of Britain’ will become the first port of call for anyone wishing to research horse drawn vehicles. Further developing our work, The Carriage Foundation are hosting a series of study days through the winter as well as the two established study tours. Long term plans are to explore the possibility of founding a National Carriage Museum. If anyone would like to find out more about our work or be involved with our projects with research or financial support please do make contact.
