A private collection of historic horse-drawn carriages has smashed pre-auction estimates, selling for over £200,000.
The 29 vehicles, including a Victorian London fire engine, a bath chair to be pulled by a pony and carriages that had starred in films and television programmes, were the property of North Yorkshire businessman Ian Smith. They went under the hammer at auctioneer Duggleby Stephenson of York on 25 June,.
“It was absolutely epic, one of the best single-owner auctions we’ve ever seen at our York saleroom,” said managing director Will Duggleby.
Mr Smith started building his collection in the 1990s, after he bought a farm in Cropton at which he bred horses. His vehicles were not kept just for show; he and his family drove them in Windsor Great Park, to Royal Ascot and in competitions at the Great Yorkshire Show, Royal Windsor and others.
The value of the collection was set at about £120,000 before the sale, which attracted bidders from all over the world.
The mail phaeton
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“It was a humble horse-drawn Victorian trade cart that provided the first major shock of the day,” a Duggleby Stephenson spokesperson said. “Built in 1895 by J Herring of Hartlepool and renovated half a century ago, it was expected to make perhaps £3,500, on a good day! But after a ferocious battle it went for £21,000, won by a collector living just 38 miles or so from where the dray was built, who saw off the challenge of another Yorkshire rival.”
The top lot was a “roof seat brake” built by Shanks of London, an open carriage named as the seat was at the height of the roof on a normal carriage, and the choice of the richer client for a day at the races, as it had a superior view of the action. This had an estimate of £16,000 to £22,000 but the hammer went down at £33,000, to a buyer from Kent.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
The most famous item in the sale, a town coach made by Victorian carriage maker John Marston and used in ITV series Victoria, made £6,400.
A “wild west” chuck wagon sold for £4,300, the fire engine for £5,400, a mail phaeton for £9,600 and a Victorian hearse for £7,800. Other lots included six Victorian top hats, which sold for £1,000, yew coaching whips that went for over £1,000, coaching horns at £2,000 and a set of harness that sold for £7,800.
“It was a very special collection, brought together over about a quarter of a century,” said Mr Duggleby. “We’re absolutely delighted with the results.”
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
