Jim Frecklington died in an aged care facility in Manly, Sydney, after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 76. The man who built the Australian State Coach for Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 has passed, taking with him the last living master of the craft. His workshop on the northern beaches, once filled with the smell of sawdust and leather, is now silent. But the work isn't done.
His final commission, the Commonwealth Royal Coach, stands 98% complete. It’s a three-tonne beast of gold leaf, Westminster Abbey timber, and modern electric windows. Frecklington received his terminal diagnosis while the carriage was still under construction. He refused to stop. Team members say he continued working on the details until the end, financing the project by remortgaging his own home. It’s a tribute to 1,000 years of monarchy, built by a man who started with a Shetland pony cart in Parkes, New South Wales, when he was eight.
The craft is effectively extinct now. Frecklington was the last of his kind, a lineage that traces back to the Royal Mews in London where he worked with the Queen’s ceremonial horses. He didn't use conventional plans; he visualized the complex designs in his head. His legacy includes the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which actually served in King Charles III’s coronation because the new Commonwealth coach wasn't ready. Now, his former apprentices are stepping in. They’re handling the final touches, ensuring the gold leaf sits perfectly and the timber joints align.
The Commonwealth Royal Coach will be unveiled once the final details are set. It’s more than a vehicle; it’s a museum piece on wheels. The next step is the official handover to the Crown, a ceremony that will mark the end of an era for hand-built royal carriages. Until then, the team works in the workshop Frecklington called home, finishing what he started.