It was owned by Robert Chichester who lived at a mansion called Hall, near Bishop’s Tawton, in Devon and was a cousin of Colonel John Chichester of Arlington Court. Their homes were two of the four large estates belonging to different branches of the Chichester family in Devon.
Painted a distinctive bright yellow with a black roof over the passenger compartment, the carriage still carries the crest of the Chichester family on the doors. It was originally designed as a family travelling carriage or town chariot, it was converted at a later point in the 19th century to a slightly larger and less formal carriage for regular family use.
Thomas Pedler’s great grandson, Mr Garth Pedler, acquired the carriage in 1996 when it came up for sale, because of the family connection. He had some conservation work carried out on the carriage and has since gifted it to the National Trust, who will be doing further conservation on it.
Phillippa Turner, Collections & House Manager at Arlington Court says: 'It is wonderful to have this important and fascinating carriage at Arlington. Not only does it provide us with the first Chichester carriage at the Carriage Museum, but it was also modified by a local company, Pettle of Barnstaple within ten miles of Arlington Court. This means that we can learn more about local craftspeople and the business of nineteenth century carriage building. We can’t wait for people to come and see it and enjoy it.'