coachbuilt prams

Yes mine was a Silver Cross - they were brilliant as really they were big enough for the child to stay in it until quite old and when I had my second I had a sort of pram seat for the eldest that sat on the back/front? near the handles. Also had a huge shopping tray underneath it used to carry loads.

Oh lovely memories of my racing green marmet (not sure of the correct name or spelling someone here will know) bigger wheels at the back. Beautifully padded inside. Could be lifted into many positions for sitting baby. It had a bag at the front, a basket underneath, a lovely canopy. A weeks shopping a baby and a toddler would glide along effortlessly. Marvellous

I had a beautiful Marmet for my sons, then a twin Silver Cross for my daughters. I would walk miles with them and could fit so much shopping in the baskets underneath. I love to see babies stretched out in proper prams, looking so comfortable, but my lot only wanted travel systems.

My son's little step-daughter received the most gorgeous pink coach-built Silver Cross dolls pram for Christmas. My baby grandson could fit in it. I had to content myself with wheeling that through the house

Oh yes I forgot the bag.

Kiora snap - mine was racing green, too

My Marmey was racing green too, and I've still got it!

I had the baby one end and when the dog couldn't walk any further I popped him in the other end.

Whenim64 I can just see you with your pink pram wheeling it about the house. Face full of nostalgia

Hummingbird can I come to your house and have a push....please

Everyone round to Hummingbird's for turns each!

I loved my big navy blue Silver Cross. When DS2 came along, Mum bought a seat to put across the end. The only trouble was that big brother wouldn't use it. He would either walk or sit at the end of the pram without the seat. Mum wasn't too pleased.

I was just saying to DH, the other day, how nice it is to see a new mother in our area pushing a proper pram. She looked so relaxed pushing the pram and baby looked extremely comfortable.
I had a pram seat for DD when DS was a baby, very useful because I had several miles to walk to the baby clinic and it was uphill all the way back. Pushing a pram was the best exercise I ever did, I got my figure back very quickly.

I loved my 1980 version a navy cord restmor my second son loved lying underneath on the tray. When i had no 3 the big boys liked to put their lunch boxes etc on the tray. I walked miles and miles and kept them in it for years as i was proud of my white broderie anglais canopy.
It was a sad day for me when i wheeled it to the charity shop

Oops no capital I's sorry

Mine was a rather smart burgundy Marmet pram. I loved it and it was used for 3 of my children. I did have a slight 'accident' one day though when crossing a main road. I got onto the island when one wheel came off and sailed down the road leaving me with a 14 month old sitting rather precariously on a clip on pram seat and a new born in the pram. What was I thinking [blush) Luckily a passing driver jumped out of his car ran after my escaping wheel and clipped it back onto the pram for me.

The same day I was placing some meat under the pram into the tray and had forgotten to do the straps up on the aforementioned pram seat and found my baby son sailing downward to the ground. Luckily he was wearing a very very padded hood. This was the poor baby who I put outside in my coach built Marmet pram and only did one strap of his harness up. He was 9 months old. I looked out of my window to check him to find he had disappeared, he was dangling over the pram out of sight.

Please don't report me to child protection he is now a very strapping 44 year old.

I did love the pram though and took good care of that!

My big pram was a Silver Cross for DD and DS1 in Navy with a silver trim and a pram bag with the most lovely sun canopy,it is in DDs loft and I used it when we lived in the family house for DGSs now 23 & 22 they loved it and we would walk for miles mr.glamma called it "The Iron Horse" but I loved it all the shopping would fit nicely underneath and people would stop and talk to the babies something which doesn't seem to happen much now.I'm going to use it again if we have any more babies but at the moment we have no where to keep it downstairs as it takes up a massive amount of space.

We couldn't afford a coach built pram or fit one into our small house even if we could! I had a borrowed carry-cot with a set of wheels for the first weeks then we bought a sort of large pushchair which could be laid flat for DC to sleep in. I do think the big prams look very comfortable and would have loved one.

When expecting our first baby in 1971 the only way we could afford to buy a pram was to cash a bond that I had for about 10 years it was for £50 a huge sum then (and now on occasions) we bought a navy blue tan sad with all the bits including a pram tray and a tasseled sun shade which had very defeating strings to alter it never did get to work them properly. I was almost as proud of that pram as I was the new baby. Walked for miles and miles as didn't have a car and couldn't drive anyway ,remember wiping it down every week and polishing the chrome. When baby number two arrived had a pram seat which baby one was promoted to. It has now gone down in family history that whilst out with two babies one in pram one on pram seat ,on approaching a parking barrier thought pram etc could easily pass underneath - it didn't baby number one got bashed on the head....could explain a lot really. Wish I could say my mothering skills improved over the years but like to be honest. Do remember when pram days over placed it for sale in local paper got a fiver for it helped pay for some driving lessons. Wish in a way I had kept that pram......

This thread triggered a memory from my childhood. We had a 'wicked stepfather' (yes, really) who used to threaten to put us in a home if we irritated him (which we did, constantly!). He told us that he'd put his own children in a home, but we didn't believe him. After his and my mum's first child was born my mum had a big second hand silver cross pram for the baby and the mattress used to lift up to reveal a little cavity. We were out one day and for some reason we children lifted the mattress when the baby was out of the pram. There in the cavity were lots of sweets and several brand new comics. My mum was horrified when she saw what we'd found and so were we when she told us they were for my stepfather's children who she was going to visit in the children's home.
We later discovered that he and his ex-wife argued over custody as neither wanted their children and all three remained in the care system.

What a chilling story, ga. Interesting that your mum was visiting the children. It seems a lifetime away to recall accounts of children being sent to orphanages and placed in care, rather than them being removed for their protection.

Chloe, I agree, I think I loved my pram as much too. I am sitting here thinking about it now. Actually although I loved the canopy it was a pain as the cord kept loosening and so the canopy kept falling down. It had a little back rest that you could prop the baby up with and I made matching white broderie quilt covers.
The only problem was that my first born was very sicky and it spoilt the image really having to put a bib on him to go out. I didnt want sicky dribbles on my lovely cord cover!
My grandchildren looked so squashed up in their compact travel systems and certainly couldnt lie down properly for a daytime nap. (in the garden all weathers)
I remember in the 70's when those first maclaren blue stripy buggies came out a doctor saying children would grow up with back problems, but I can't say I have noticed all the hunchbacked 30 to 40 year olds that were predicted.

You have reminded me of my lovely Silver Cross dolls pram which I absolutely loved. Never forgave my mother for selling it to the window-cleaner for 7/6 without asking me first

You can still find coach built prams for sale on eBay. Not very practical for today's way of life though.

I had a gorgeous, coach-built Marmit Queen [black] with a well in the middle for one child to put his feet. It was huge and I would walk most days with the children in it the four or more miles from home to Abington Park. We then did the tour of the park and home again. I was very fit in those days. The pram was a luxury that I could only afford because it was second hand. All the interior was white leather and all the bedding and sun canopy was white. I used to polish it regularly.

Oh I remember my coach built dolls pram, I cried for days when I tipped it up and scratched the paintwork.
The lady next door had twin babies and me and my friend were allowed to push them round the block in our dolls prams. We can't have been more than7!
I also recall being about 11 and still playing with my dolls and the pram, dont think that happens these days.