Lord Mayor of London's State Coach

The body of the coach is attached to the undercarriage by four thick leather straps, each held in place by a huge, intricately decorated gilt buckle featuring the City's coat of arms.

The roof of the coach is red painted with gilded ornamentation; there was formerly a central carved feature (depicting four boys holding baskets of fruit) only the base of which now remains.

The rear panels depict a figure representing the City of London receiving gifts from Riches and Plenty, Trade and Commerce.

The left-hand panels include the god Mars pointing to a scroll held by Truth on which is inscribed the name of the first Mayor, Henri Fitz Alwin.

[5] From 1711 the Lord Mayor was transported around the city using a hired coach, following an incident in which the incumbent, Gilbert Heathcote, was unseated from his horse by a drunken flower girl in 1710, breaking his leg.

[6] This arrangement continued until 1757, when city banker and Lord Mayor elect, Sir Charles Asgill, persuaded the aldermen to finance the purchase of a "new Grand State Coach".

The last major overhaul was in 1952, when the carriage was entirely stripped down and cleaned, with parts repaired or replaced where necessary and the wood preserved and strengthened, before being regilded, revarnished, reupholstered, and reassembled.