This material is the Copyright property of Rose Peterson & W. J. Frecklington and is reproduced with their permission from the booklet 'The State Coach Britannia' published in 2005.
Coach, which in 1988 became the Bicentennial gift from the people
of Australia to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11. Now in the Royal
Mews at Buckingham Palace in London, the Australia State Coach is
used regularly by the Queen for the State Opening of the British
Parliament.
The Australia State Coach is the first such carriage to be built for the
British Royal Household since 1902.
Now in 2005 a new Coach has been designed and built, the State
Coach Britannia.
This fact alone clearly indicates the visionary dream that inspires Jim
Frecklington. It also clearly demonstrates how rare the art form of
Coach building has become and how uncommon are the amazing
creativity and skills that Jim Frecklington possesses.
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the project was obtained through the Comptroller of the Lord
Chamberlain's Office at Buckingham Palace.
Mr Jim Frecklington OAM is particularly sensitive to the privilege of naming the State Coach
Britannia.
The choice of the title is most significant. In the first instance it was taken as a distinguished title
from the stately Royal Yacht Britannia - the naming of the Yacht had been a closely guarded secret
until at the launch in April 1953, the Queen proudly announced "I name this ship Britannia". Though
other titles had been suggested, the choice of Britannia stemmed from the Queen's personal
philosophy of the role of the Monarchy in modem Britain. It so delighted the crowds that they broke
into a spontaneous chorus of "Rule Britannia".
But the name resonates far beyond this single artefact.
"Britannia" is the ancient Latin name for the island of Great Britain, pre-dating the Roman invasion
under Joules Caesar in the lit century BC. In the lst century AD, in honour of his exploits there, the
Roman Emperor Claudius named his newborn son Britannicus. In the course of history Britannia
became emblematic of Britain and has been poetically personified as a Female figure, appearing in
various forms such as on coins and as a carved figurehead attached to the bow of ships, which
includes Admiral Horatio Nelson's ship, HMS Victory.
Poetic inspiration also led Lord Byron to describe Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar as
"once Britannia's god of war." The name has resonated musically over the ages in "Rule Britannia,
Britannia rule the waves" when a great Empire was forged, and it continues to define both the
Country and its Sovereign Head.
There is no doubt that the Royal Yacht Britannia gave a "magical majesty" and a regal drama to the
Queen's travel on matters of State that nothing else could rival.
Now all the poetry, regal and historic tradition and symbolism embodied in this title has rightly
devolved on a new and unique creation designed to carry it through the New Millennium - the
magnificent State Coach Britannia.
their Peak Hill property. It was there they acquired a stubborn little Shetland pony that refused to
tolerate a rider, so, nothing daunted, Jim, who was aged eight at the time, built a little cart for the
pony to pull him around in, which incidentally also added carriage driving to his horse riding skills.
It was his first horse drawn project and little did he know then where these skills would eventually
lead him. Over the years Jim acquired other carriages and buggies, mostly four wheeled, which he
restored as a hobby, but it would be many years before he would develop his skills into a major
talent and build his first real masterpiece.
As an adult, Jim left the family property and Australia for the adventurous life of working in the
Arctic, just sixty-seven miles from the Magnetic North Pole. There, for several years he operated
heavy equipment used in the construction of airstrips, built for transport planes used by oil drilling
companies and for passenger jets to utilise in case of an emergency.
From the Polar North, Jim moved to England and, in a career change more in keeping with his early
experiences, he was initially engaged at Windsor Castle, looking after the Duke of Edinburgh's
four-in-hand team of horses. Later he moved to the Royal Mews in London where he looked after the
Royal ceremonial horses of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth IL Having been appointed to the team that
looked after the Queen's show horses, he travelled around England, France and Switzerland to
various shows and competitions. During his time at the Royal Mews, Jim also drove the carriages
on ceremonial occasions and served as an outrider at Ascot.
Next his adventurous spirit led him to Canada where he worked for a time taking tours through the
Canadian Rocky Mountains from Banff to Jasper but he was not forgotten by the Royal Household
and in 1977, he was invited to manage the Queen's
In 1981 Jim Frecklington returned to London and assisted with the processional at the wedding of
His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
In 1986, the concept of a new Queen's Carriage was born. Jim felt that something special was
needed to commemorate Australia's Bi-centenary and with his characteristic purposeful
determination set about making his dream a reality.
When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave her permission, and the Australian Government added
its endorsement, he set about building the superb Australia State Coach, an achievement made all the
more remarkable by the unavoidable delays which reduced the total construction time to just eleven
months!
The Australia State Coach became Australia's Bi-centennial gift to the Queen. It is an enduring
showcase of Australian materials and craftsmanship, a fantastic fusion of traditional arts and cutting
edge technology and a tangible expression of Australia's historic connection with the British
Monarchy. The Coach proudly stands on display in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace and is
used by Her Majesty on important State occasions.
In 1991 Jim Frecklington was awarded the OAM in recognition of his outstanding achievements. But
Jim has never been one to rest on his laurels. In less than a decade, his quest for challenge and
desire to contribute would lead him into another extraordinary project.
On the night when rapturous celebrations throughout Australia greeted the announcement of the
President of the LO.C., Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch: "And the winner is... Sydney", Jim
Frecklington's thoughts immediately turned to some concept which would carry the ideal of the
Olympic Movement into the new millennium. It was then that the idea of the Gold Chariot was born.
In making this choice, Jim rightly felt that the Gold Chariot, connecting as is does so successfully
with the historic past and with the modern tradition, would naturally fit in with the ritualistic
symbolism that already had been established as part of the modern Games.
The project took three years, the assistance of supporters and the work of some expert craftsmen to
make the concept a reality, but what stood out most remarkably through all this process was the hard
work, the dedication and the steadfast conviction of Jim Frecklington himself, characteristics which
in themselves showcase the best of the Olympic ideal.
It is these characteristics, together with his unerring resolve to fuse the traditions of the historic past
with the technology and developments of today that Jim Frecklington has applied with such success
to the State Coach Britannia and that mark him out as a man of great discernment and inspiration.
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