Jim Frecklington OAM, an Australian craftsman who built horsedrawn carriages for the British royal family, has died aged 76. ABC News Australia reports that he died on Friday in an aged care facility in Manly, New South Wales, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Frecklington’s latest project, the Commonwealth Royal Coach, remains unfinished but is close to completion. Vehicle body painter and friend Owen Webb said the team expected to have it about 98 per cent finished within days and would add the remaining touches before transporting it to London.
The coach weighs more than three tonnes and was funded by remortgaging Frecklington’s home, according to ABC News Australia. It features hand-applied gold leaf, timber from Westminster Abbey, electric windows and air conditioning, and was designed to commemorate more than 1,000 years of British monarchy. Frecklington previously described it as a future national treasure of Britain.
During a 50-year career, Frecklington completed three carriages for the royal family. He built the Australian State Coach as an Australian Bicentennial gift for Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 and the Diamond Jubilee State Coach for her 80th birthday in 2006. The latter was used at King Charles III’s coronation because the Commonwealth State Coach was not ready.
Frecklington developed an interest in coachmaking as a child in Parkes, New South Wales. After working in the Arctic and England, he cared for the Duke of Edinburgh’s horses and later worked with ceremonial horses at London’s Royal Mews. He was also involved in Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee Exhibition in Australia in 1977.
Friends and the group Australians for Constitutional Monarchy praised his craftsmanship and influence. Warringah councillor Darren Jones told ABC News Australia that Frecklington worked without formal plans, holding designs in his head and translating them into instructions for different trades. His team now intends to finish the carriage in accordance with his plans.