Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the September 2026 edition of Speke Up, the parish magazine for Upton Pyne, Cowley and Brampford Speke.

FOR the Price family of Jackmoor (near Upton Pyne), a beautifully preserved horse-drawn cart is far more than a treasured antique. Passed down through generations, it carries a story of family, craftsmanship, tradition and a way of life slowly disappearing from Britain’s roads.

Intricate hand-painted scrollwork, pin-striping and floral motifs adorn its wooden panels, wheels and shafts. Richly painted in pale yellow (customarily called “cream”) and vibrant maroon, with 20-carat gold leaf detailing, this traditional horse-drawn cart is unmistakably original. But, for the Price family, it is much more than a work of art. It is family history on two wheels, and a treasured link between generations.

An original Lambeth cart, now nearly 100 years old, it was bought at Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria as a 16th birthday present for Jim Price’s father, Michael, in 1936. He received it as part of a “full turnout”, complete with horse and harness, and it has been passed down through the generations, from father to eldest son. For the family, that continuity is at the heart of its significance.

Originally a working “Coster”, the cart took its name from the street sellers who sold produce from a cart or barrow. It was once a familiar sight in the mining village in County Durham where Jim’s family lived, carrying fruit, eggs and vegetables during the week and, on Fridays, fish.

Today, it continues to play an important role in family life. In June, the cart made a particularly memorable journey when it carried Jim’s granddaughter, Ria, to her year 11 Queen Elizabeth’s School prom. Wearing a spectacular black corset dress featuring diamante beading and a chapel train, she made a striking arrival. Photographers sprinted across the road to capture the scene, while the Crediton Courier described it as a “Cinderella moment”, saying the horse-drawn cart “stole the show”.

The cart had been decorated especially for the occasion, with red rosebuds arranged in little bouquets and secured with red ribbons, while Velvet, the family’s 28-year-old piebald mare, was dressed up to match. Red ribbons and roses were braided and woven through her mane and tail, complementing her glossy black-and-white coat, flowing feathering and polished leather harness with gleaming brass fittings.

The cart’s harness is almost as remarkable as the cart itself. Made at the same time, it is an original harness by W. & H. Gidden of London, who later held a Royal Warrant to Queen Elizabeth II.

The cart will soon be returning to dry storage in County Durham. For the Price family, every journey adds another chapter to the cart’s story.

Perhaps that is what makes this remarkable vintage cart so important. Its value lies not simply in its age, decoration or rarity, but in what it represents: a tangible connection between generations, carrying the past into the present and, hopefully, onwards into the future.

Aly Stoneman