C. S. Windover & Co.
London and Paris
Circa 1888
Type:
The Beaufort phaeton is listed in the Windover catalogue as the “No. 59 Grand Audley de Chasse,” but it was more likely called a “shooting phaeton” in Britain. This example has louvers in the sides of the rear boot, but it has no slatted gates to make it usable for carrying gun dogs, nor clips for guns. It might be driven with a single horse of 15.2 to 16 hands or with a pair. It is intended for use in the country.
Provenance:
It stood for many years in the coach-house of the White Hall, Winestead, in East Yorkshire, and was used very little for about thirty years. It was sold by auction after the death of the owner in 1959, and Mr. Seabrook bought it in 1966. At that time the phaeton still had the original paintwork of red undercarriage and black body with red louvers, It had a crest on the front panels which may have been that of a member of the Talbot family, one of whom, Major Talbot Clifford Constable, lived nearby in the 1870s It has been completely restored in recent years.
Builder:
Charles Sanford Windover was one of a family of carriage makers in Huntingdon who started his own business at 32 Long Acre, London, about 1870. He was elected a member of the Worshipful Company of Carriage Makers in 1875. Windover was one of the seven English exhibitors of carriages at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. Carriages of the smaller kinds were his specialty, and he patented the design of the ralli car but was not able to prevent its being copied by other firms. The firm became C.S. Windover & Co., Ltd. in 1895 and continued in business until about 1930.