"By tradition, the new Lord Mayor was expected to ride on horseback, but in 1710, the incumbent, Gilbert Heathcote, was unseated from his horse by a drunken flower girl, breaking his leg. For a while, the City hired a coach to replace the horse, but in 1757, the Lord Mayor elect, Sir Charles Asgill, persuaded the aldermen to finance the purchase of a "new Grand State Coach". It was completed in time for his inauguration later that year and has been used ever since."
"Ahead of the show, the State Coach is brought into the city and kept in a specially built glass display area in the Guildhall, where anyone can wander up for a close look. It's not immediately obvious, but the passage behind the glass doors is also open to the public, and you get a much better look at the carriage from in there. They also put up a few signs about the coach and show off a few bits of the coach driver's equipment."
The State Coach sits on display in the Guildhall's specially built glass area, open to the public for close inspection. The coach is one of three great state coaches of the United Kingdom and has been used annually since its completion in 1757. The City acquired the coach after 1710 when Lord Mayor Gilbert Heathcote was unseated and injured, prompting a switch from horseback to carriage and the 1757 purchase arranged by Sir Charles Asgill. Signage and some coach-driver equipment are exhibited nearby. The event will now be called the Lady Mayor's Show, though some signage still reads Lord Mayor's Show. Six horses will pull the coach to signify rank.
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