A WEST Devon couple have spent many years collecting and restoring a large variety of horse drawn carriages — around 200 of which are set to go under the hammer next week.

Gerald and Irene Williamson acquired their first carriage in the 1970s, which came free with a pony they had bought for their daughter. Their growing love of the vehicles meant they have built up a substantial collection since then.

Their extensive collection includes a Well Bottom Gig, a bullock maroon Ralli Car and an extremely rare Grosvenor Phaeton.

Also among the collection are local carriages, the Tavistock Wagonette Omnibus, Penny's Bus and a Devon harvest wagon.

The wagonette is a unique, six-seater built in 1896 by Budge and Co of Lumburn, Tavistock. The omnibus unusually has a body of varnished English walnut, rather than the usual coach painted finish. The top, with its original float glass, lifts off to convert the four wheeler into an open top wagonette.

It started its service with John Backwell of the Cornish Arms, Tavistock as a private hire bus. It served its working life running excursions from Great Western Railway Tavistock Station to local beauty sites like Two Bridges, Princetown, Burrator and Lydford Gorge as well as transporting prisoners to HMP Dartmoor.

The coachman recalled some passengers having to make that trip on more than one re-offending occasion. It went out of service in 1930 and was stored in a coach house until 1949 when it went on loan to Buckland Abbey and then in 1987 to Arlington Court. It was brought back to Tavistock in 1996 and auctioned in a sorry state of repair.

With the Williamsons being the successful bidders — after seeing the auction advert in the Tavistock Times — they researched its history and restored it to its former glory.

The Penny's Bus is the only remaining of three that were owned by the Penny family of Luckett and ran from Luckett to Callington and to Tavistock on Friday market days, where it would have crossed the path of the Tavistock wagonette omnibus.

The Devon harvest wagon was built by Hanns of Horrabridge and was originally owned by Edmund Dawe who farmed some 500 acres at Burns Hall, Chillaton. He worked the vehicle in the 1940s with his two horses. This is thought to be one of the last wagons of this type to be made by a local carpenter.

Talking about how the collection started, Mr Williamson said: 'The only experience with horses in my early days was helping on the milk round on Saturdays to earn money to buy a bicycle. The horse was a lovely mare named Mary and she knew what to do from start to finish. Apart from a few horse rides along the beach on holiday, I virtually had no contact with horses until the 1970s.

'At that time our daughters were growing up and wanted to be like their friends, many of whom had ponies. Our eldest Caroline befriended a girl whose father was a vehicle breaker and, being of gypsy descent, kept horses which needed exercising. Caroline became very attached to a lovely old Irish grey mare named Queenie.

'Charlie the breaker decided to sell off the horses and Caroline came home in tears. The upshot was I agreed on a price and bought Queenie. He thanked me and said "by the way I meant to tell you Queenie is a ride and drive and with her goes that old cart and harness". Soon afterwards our daughter left to go to university and I was left to look after Queenie.'

Mr Williamson said he decided, without really thinking it through and having no experience or training, that he would put Queenie to work. He was lucky that Queenie knew what to do and effectively taught him to drive. He said the old cart was good but the harness was rotten. With the guidance of a member of the Driving Society, Mr Williamson bought a full collar harness and did not look back, undertaking his first wedding in 1978.

'It was very enjoyable doing weddings and taking family and friends for drives and from this I began to be noticed around and about. I started to be offered other carriages which were for sale and this led me into the beginning of my collection of vehicles.'

Mr Williamson took great pleasure in researching the history of all his acquisitions and has since been giving illustrated talks about the collection to local groups and associations.

The collection will go under auction on Sunday, June 14 at Beech Park Auctions of Callington. At the end of the Saturday viewing there will be a talk on carriage driving, coaching and the collection by Mr Williamson.