The below letter was written by John Mauger, partner of Thimbleby & Shorland and founder of the Reading Carriage Sales, and sent to members of the Coaching Club, Mr Bowman, Mr Collinson and all those entered for the ‘Windsor FEI’.

Also in the file are letters from George Matthey who owned the Perseverance Road Coach and ‘other beautifully appointed equipages’, and a Dutch gentleman who had seen the Horse & Hound advert stating that ‘the finest Park Drag in the world’ was for sale.  In response, Mr Mauger corrected him by stating that the advert had read ‘one of the finest’!

There are gentlemanly letters between Mr Mauger and Bernard Mills, arranging the sale, suggesting buyers and finalising the details.  A Post Office telegram dated 8th August 1974, the date of the sale, from  Mr Mills to Mr Mauger can also be seen below.

It was sold by auction for £7,500 to Alan Bristow, of helicopter fame and at the time, it was a record price for a carriage at auction.  Ever fastidious, Mr Mauger also seems to have charged Alan Bristow interest of £184.41 due to the late arrival of his cheque!

18th June 1974

Dear Sir,

We privileged to announce that we have received instructions from Mr. Bernard N. Mills, recent President of The Coaching Club, to offer for sale by auction his very fine Park Drag by Holland & Holland and the coach will be included in our Carriage Sale at Reading on Thursday 8th August.

Mr. Mills’ Park Drag is very well known in the show ring and is beautifully finished in black, lined with white, and was revarnished for the 1974 show season.  The original dark green interior upholstery is in very good condition and so is the upholstery of roof seats.

The late Mr. Bertram Mills used to show the coach with his famous team of black Hackneys up to 1937, and after his death, it was shown by Mr. Bernard Mills from 1938 until the outbreak of war.  In recent years it   has been in the forefront, having been driven by Mrs. Cynthia Haydon to the late Hon. Mrs. Ionides’ team, followed by the late Mr J.P.G. Runciman’s team of Hackneys, and this year she is driving Mr. & Mrs. J.A. McDougald’s (Canada) 15.2 hh team of bay Hackneys to the Drag.

The coach was driven into first place by Mrs. Haydon in all three coaching marathons for which she entered it last year (Ardingly, Lincoln and the Royal Show); and the  same success has been achieved first time out this year at the Ardingly show.  It is intended to again show it at Lincoln and the Royal Show this season.

The coach naturally appears in many photographs, and it can be seen in the last three Year Books of the Hackney Horse Society, as well as on page 99 of Mr. R. A. Brown’s excellent book “The History of the Coaching Club”.

The hind boot is beautifully fitted with lined Mahogany sliding containers for bottles and glasses, and the comprehensive equipment of the coach includes: set of bars and spare main and lead bars with strap; Holland & Holland lamps, two rear lamps and footboard lamp; umbrella basket; horn carrier and  full size horn carrier; steps; leather whip socket; removeable single lazy back for front passenger; four quarter sheets, etc. The interior is well fitted, including a brass framed mirror on the inside face of the near side window shutter.  Several additional items of coaching equipment belonging to Mr. Mills will be included in the “Sundry driving accoutrements” section of the sale.

We shall be pleased to send you a catalogue of our August sale, and we hope this prior notification  may be of interest to you.

Yours faithfully,

Thimbleby & Shorland