Coachbuilt prams

We couldn’t afford one for babies one and two, but for baby three I ordered one straight away
I absolutely loved it, walked miles with it, she would be sat up facing me, and we could chat as we went along.
A few years later we bought that little girl a child’s silver cross coach built dolls pram, it was beautiful.

I loved my green Silvercross coach built pram with sunshade and seat when we had two children in 18 months. The whole package cost £25 second-hand in the late 80's.
The car wasn't available to me during the week so the pram went everywhere. A favourite was the blackberrying expeditions to the local heath.
I sold it, again for £25 - balancing wear and tear against 15% interest rates - to a friend's friend. It's still going strong in her family.

My mum bought me one for DD, it was lovely but the top half took up the whole back seat of the car and the base filled the boot 🫣
This was 44 years ago so no car seats etc.
I then had a Silver Cross pushchair, it was brilliant and used by my two and my sister’s two children.

I gave my pram away along with cast off, toys etc. to a local house for homeless families, when we had completed our family. Only the mother and children were housed there - Dad had to make the best of it elsewhere. I always felt terribly sorry for those poor folk. “Cathy Come Home”

I used to see it carrying the babies.

I lived in the South and mine was a Silver Cross Balmoral - so I don’t think it was just the north who bought them.

The children moved on to a silver cross pushchair, they were a very substantial piece of kit as well.

We did have a sort of collapsible pram for the car, which was given to me by a generous friend - but it was only ever used on days out or journeys in the car.

Lovely memories here. We had a Marmet coach built pram for our first two babies. It had belonged to my sister in law, and we had a new hood and apron made for it. When I could no longer justify keeping it, I have it to the local Barnados home.
Only very recently I saw a young mum pushing a coach built pram and thought how lovely they looked.

I had a Marmet bought in 1969 for my first baby.Not strictly a coach built as it had a soft body but the chassis was the same as a coach built.It asked through both my two DC and was still in perfect condition when I parted with it n 1975. That pram also carried rolls of wallpaper on the tray on the bottom, and also, but not at the same time, a hoover strapped across the body as well as a baby.
I bought a refurbished Wilson coach built when my youngest grandchild was born in 2002, I loved pushing her around in it but unfortunately her parents never used it as it would not go in the car!. I kept it for my great grandchildren when they began to arrive but unfortunately the same thing happened, not car friendly.
It stood taking up room in my house before I reluctantly had to sell it to a customer on a Facebook pram group but I know it went to a good home.

I had a coachbuilt pram but it was a Churchill .its what my mum had for us and if the story is true the same make my Granny and Grandfather walked home from Coatbridge to Glasgow when she was 7 months pregnant with her first in 1912,the story goes she was tired halfway so granda put her IN the pram and pushed it the rest of the way .
I had a soft bodied Silver Cross for my son and my kids had the same style for the GC....well they would... we paid for them.
Theres still one in the attic and I think the family christening robe and shawl are in it along with a new carrickmacross lace christening veil as the original one was never returned after being loaned to a neighbour

I had a similar pram, certainly not a silver cross. I had two children at one end and a toddler at the other. As the younger two grew the toddler lay in the basket/tray underneath!

I have both a full size Marmet coach built pram in navy with white floral interior and a doll's coach built Silver Cross in the same colours. They look like a matching set. Both bought 39 years ago and I'm not sure where to go to get them restored- the wheels need a little bit of attention. If anyone has any suggestions they would be gratefully recieved

GagaJo the real prammies will tell you that although Silver Cross is a household name, they weren't the best quality prams. They do have their followers though especially in the north where they used to be made.

There is a whole community of obsessives who love prams, and Silver Cross coachbuilt are right up at the top. They're called prammies!

DGS had a vintage Silver Cross, although not coach built, as one of his prams/pushchairs. He ended up having about 4 different ones for a variety of reasons and needs. I found the SC quite heavy going, compared to the most modern one he had.

I had a navy Silver Cross, I loved it and walked for miles with it
When I had my second, I can remember trekking to Boots for baby food and putting it in the basket underneath, then plonking my eldest on the end of the pram and pushing it up the steep hills home
I had a broderie anglaise canopies and top quilt in the summer and white chrochet blankets (with a hot water bottle in the bottom of the pram when it was cold)

I still have the pram that DS1 and my subsequent three babies used. It’s 48 years old and it could pretty much go back into a showroom. It’s all navy with white coachlines and so elegant. I bought a new mattress not long ago so my GC could use it.

I suppose it ought to go now but I’m very attached to it!

One of my favourites taken outside our village church

Blondiescot

PamelaJ1

BlondisCot
Put it on eBay then someone else can love it.

There's quite a few on eBay but none seem to have any bids on them.

They sell at the right price, its just that some people imagine that because a few fetch a great deal of money that any old bit of what they perceive to be "Silver Cross" will fetch the same. In addition, courier costs are expensive on top of the purchase price.

PamelaJ1

BlondisCot
Put it on eBay then someone else can love it.

There's quite a few on eBay but none seem to have any bids on them.

I have several, they have become a bit of a passion of mine. I have used them for all my grandchildren and have one in the corner of our family room that the babies used for naps and we always used it as a changing station - immensely practical.
Blondiescot if your pram is truly identical to the one that SachaMac has pictured you need to get it out of your garden shed PDQ - its death to prams and the one in the photo is a Marmet Lady which is very, very rare and highly sought after

Yes I had a coach pram. They were absolutely lovely and so comfortable for baby. I remember the sun shade with the fringe, a bag on the back by the handles and a wire basket for the shopping, the base also used to lift up for storage. Useful until almost toddler stage. We walked much more back then I think. I also had a pram seat for the older toddler that sat across the back of the pram.

I had a Silver Cross coach built pram for my first baby. The pram was white with navy hood and apron.
My daughter had a Silver Cross dolls pram. Happy memories of the Christmas day walk with the baby doll asleep on the pram bedding made by me. My mother in law knitted a beautiful pram cover.

They are very popular here. In fact there is a shop that refurbishes and sells them.

Far too big and bulky, and the last kind of pram I would have considered buying.

I had one that would never have won any prizes for beauty but was just so pratical. it was bigger than a carrycot on wheels, but worked on similar principles. I could take it off its chassis and put it in the back of even a small car - and we had car safety harnessto hold it in place, but at the same time it had an added stabiliser so that I could put a seat across it to hold a todler.

BlondisCot
Put it on eBay then someone else can love it.

We've still got the Silver Cross coachbuilt pram, pretty much identical to the one pictured by *SachaMac), which belonged to my MiL for my husband and his sister. It's currently residing in one of the garden sheds, or garage. Not a clue what to do with it...

I bought one for GS off eBay. Loved it and have now passed it to my sister for her grandchildren. We have lots of places to walk around here and plenty of space in the house. It was fabulous and very versatile.
It wouldn’t go in the mini though!