Glass Coach
Encyclopedia
Glass coach is a term which may be used to describe any coach
Coach (carriage)
A coach was originally a large, usually closed, four-wheeled carriage with two or more horses harnessed as a team, controlled by a coachman and/or one or more postilions. It had doors in the sides, with generally a front and a back seat inside and, for the driver, a small, usually elevated seat in...

 which is predominantly glazed rather than enclosed. Perhaps the best-known example is The Glass Coach maintained by the Royal Mews
Royal Mews
A Royal Mews is a mews of the British Royal Family. In London the Royal Mews has occupied two main sites, formerly at Charing Cross, and since the 1820s at Buckingham Palace....

 in London, which is one of the Royal carriages of the United Kingdom. This fine carriage was built by Peters & Sons of London in 1910; it had been designed as a Sheriff's
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...

 coach, but was purchased by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...

 in time for the Coronation of George V in 1911.

It is used each year on various State occasions, but has most famously been employed at Royal Weddings, either to convey the bride-to-be to the Church before the service (as was the case with Lady Diana Spencer
Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer
The wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Frances Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral, London, United Kingdom. Their marriage was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century". It was watched by an estimated global TV...

 in 1981), or to transport the newly-wed Bride and Groom from Church after the service (as happened with Princess Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh
Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh
The wedding of Princess Elizabeth , and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh took place on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey in London.-Engagement:...

in 1947).

It is driven by a coachman and may be pulled by either two or four horses.
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