Coachlines - July 2026

31.07.26 Steward Mark Jurd

The Coachmaker who bridged two ages

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Influential Past Masters: William Lawton Goodman, (1863-1932)

The history of British coachbuilding is often described as ending with the arrival of the motor car, yet William Lawton Goodman’s story demonstrates precisely the opposite. His professional life indicates that the craft did not disappear – it evolved.

The same men who once built elegant road coaches for four horses went on to construct luxury motor cars, military ambulances and even aircraft, with William’s firm being one of a small number that adapted with extraordinary skill and speed, often under extremely challenging circumstances.

As we approach the significant milestone of the Company’s 350th anniversary, it is fascinating to note that the career of this particular Past Master not only represents the story of British coachbuilding, but very appropriately mirrors the evolution of our historic Company.

William was born in 1863 when British coachbuilding had reached its zenith. Across the country hundreds of coachbuilders produced everything from humble carts to magnificent state coaches and William’s career would go on to be inextricably linked to the story of two of England’s foremost carriage makers: JA Lawton of Liverpool and HJ Whitlock of London.

Founded in 1870 by William’s uncle, Joseph Alfred Lawton (1845-1913), the Liverpool firm rapidly became one of Britain’s finest carriage manufacturers, quickly moving from modest workshops to substantial new premises. As the firm expanded it opened branches in London, Manchester and Chester and even established showrooms in Paris. Their vehicles combined artistry and engineering with the highest levels of craftsmanship and became highly sought after as a result.

William grew up immersed in this world and served his apprenticeship under his Uncle Jo. There could hardly have been a better education, with young William serving his time in every department to learn all the various elements of the trade. The firm was not merely a builder but an innovator, influencing the trade at the highest level: “Lawton was not only the inventor and patentee of the double perch, C and under-spring carriage, but also brought out many designs for horse-drawn vehicles – the Lawton Gig, the Liverpool Brougham – and other constructional improvements, such as the Lancewood Shaft, (a shaft that splintered before it broke). Lawton began to earn gold medals for his work – the total of these medals and trophies was to rise eventually to a staggering 200!” ( 1).

Lawton also produced the model as a two-wheeled vehicle: the Defender Gig. Both types were deliberately of very light construction to enable the horse to show itself to maximum effect, making each variant particularly popular for use in the show ring. This remains the case today, more than 120 years after they were first built.

There were only 18 years between William and Uncle Jo and the two forged a strong relationship. William’s education in the firm was thorough and it seems clear that he was being groomed to play a far greater role in the firm. For his part, William was very keen to take on more responsibility. In 1894 he was introduced to the motor car produced by Frank and Charles Duryea in the US. For William, this was a eureka moment, leaving him convinced that the future of the company and in fact the industry lay in motor car production: “Forward thinking, he took an interest in the infant automobile industry and attended the first Crystal Palace International Exhibition of Horse-drawn and Horseless Carriages in May 1896, in a horseless carriage, and it was not long before William persuaded his uncle to expand the business into the motor trade”. (2)

Their business relationship certainly prospered. In spring 1902, the press were invited to the grand opening of the company’s new premises in Chester. It was reported that the impressive premises had: “been planned with every care to ensure the carrying on of the firm’s business”. A grand banquet was held in the evening: “Mr JA Lawton presided, and he was supported by his partner, Mr W Lawton Goodman”, (The Birkenhead News, March 1902). William was no longer just an employee but a partner in his uncle’s well-established and successful firm.

Convinced that this new technology represented the future, William successfully persuaded his uncle to embrace motor engineering alongside their existing carriage building business. By the early 1900s it was an established, “motor engineers and body builder”, even operating Liverpool’s first motorised taxi service. The firm secured agencies for a number of prestigious marques, including Panhard, Napier and Mercedes and began producing bespoke coachwork for discerning personal clients.

William’s professional reputation continued to grow and in 1903 he was made manager of its London operations. In 1905 he was elected to the Council of the Institute of British Carriage and Automobile Manufacturers, becoming its President in 1910 and again in 1923 and 1924.

Four years after joining the Council he was admitted to the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers, beginning a lifetime of service to our historic Livery.

Using the very best materials in combination with elegant design and the highest levels of craftsmanship were the foundations on which JA Lawton had established its reputation. William then ensured these same principles were applied to motor car production: “Lawton Automobiles are a conspiracy between man, material, and machinery to produce the most perfect comfort and style with the greatest degree of efficiency and safety. Our body designers are artists; our workmen masters of their craft and no expense is spared in their materials”, (1907, Lawton marketing material).
With coachwork of the very highest standard, the firm entered the 1910s in what appeared to be a very strong trading position.

Although little is recorded about the nature of William’s relationship with uncle Jo, the fact that William named one of his two sons, Joseph Alfred suggests that the two must have had a strong bond. However, on February 17th 1913, Jo Lawton senior died. Regrettably, Lawton, a great man for music hall artistes, for an excellent brandy and for a good argument, had bitterly rowed with his nephew, a co-partner in the business”. (1)
Whatever the cause of the argument, “old Jo” was clearly outraged, disinheriting his nephew, the junior partner everyone expected to be his successor. The consequences would prove highly damaging, both for William and the firm.

With the sudden loss of the company’s founder, and William completely side-lined, the bank and creditors nervously called in their debts. As if facing numerous bankruptcy court hearings wasn’t enough, William also suffered great personal tragedy. During one early hearing it was announced that his wife had died 15 minutes earlier. The judge immediately called for an adjournment, but William insisted they carry on, announcing, “I have a living to earn”,(5). Despite his best efforts he was ultimately declared personally bankrupt.

For many businessmen this would have marked the end of what, up until then, had been a distinguished career. For William Lawton Goodman it became the beginning of another. Re-establishing himself through Lawton-Goodman Ltd, he demonstrated remarkable resilience. Rather than attempting to recreate the past, he embraced new opportunities presented by the expanding motor industry. Possibly concerned that the Lawton name had been damaged by the bankruptcy proceedings, he astutely acquired the struggling Whitlock concern: “His idea was to produce a car, where the engines were brought in and mounted onto the chassis. Lawton-Goodman built the bodywork, but the marque was to be called Whitlock.” (1)

Lawton-Goodman was gearing up to increase production capacity when the World War I changed everything. The advent of the motor car may have altered the direction of coachbuilding, but the war accelerated that change beyond anything previously imagined. The company’s workshops adapted to convert motor vehicles for military and humanitarian service. Alongside building ambulances, they converted numerous cars, including Rolls-Royce, Morris and Martin vehicles into ambulances for the Belgian Field Hospital and other wartime relief organisations.

Lawton-Goodman secured contracts from the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco) to manufacture aircraft fuselages for the Airco DH4, designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and Arthur Hagg. Once again, the traditional coachbuilder proved uniquely qualified. The precise timber framing, lightweight construction and structural integrity demanded by early aircraft drew directly upon skills that carriage builders had refined over generations. The craft that had once produced elegant horse-drawn coaches found itself evolving once more as it helped Britain and its allies take to the skies.

The conclusion of the First World War marked another turning point in William Lawton Goodman’s career. During the conflict, Lawton-Goodman had demonstrated the remarkable adaptability of the traditional coach builder, applying long-established skills to the construction of military ambulances and aircraft fuselages. With peace restored, those same skills were redirected once again, this time towards the rapidly expanding market for bespoke motor-car bodies.

Operating from its Cricklewood works, Lawton-Goodman produced coachwork of exceptional quality for many of the leading chassis manufacturers of the day, including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Sunbeam and others. The firm’s reputation rested not upon quantity but craftsmanship, each body reflecting the same standards of design, proportion and workmanship that had distinguished the finest horse-drawn carriages of an earlier generation. The transition from carriage builder to motor body constructor was complete, yet the traditions of the craft remained unchanged.

William Lawton Goodman’s achievements did not pass unnoticed by his contemporaries. By the early 20th century he had become one of the most respected figures within British coachbuilding and the motor body industry. Having served as President of the Institute of British Carriage and Automobile Manufacturers on three occasions, he was then elected Master of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers, in September 1930.

The appointment was particularly significant as it mirrored the Company’s own evolution as it embraced the automobile and aerospace industries. Few men better embodied that transition than William Lawton Goodman. Trained in the traditions of Victorian carriage building, yet instrumental in the development of luxury motor coachwork, wartime ambulance construction and aircraft manufacture, he represented both the heritage and the future of the craft.

William Lawton-Goodman died in 1932, and with him the last serious effort to maintain Whitlock as a motor car marque effectively ended, although his sons continued Lawton-Goodman Ltd at the Slade Works in Cricklewood. The business progressively withdrew from bespoke motor car coachwork and, after the original JA Lawton premises in Liverpool were sold in 1938, increasingly concentrated on commercial vehicles.

Ambulances, mobile shops and ice-cream vans replaced the luxury bodies of an earlier age, and the final vehicle to roll off the production line at the Slade Works was, quite fittingly, an ambulance. Remarkably, the enterprise survived in some form until 1991, when the lease on the Slade Works finally expired.

Looking back on William’s life and career it becomes clear that he represented not merely the success of one remarkable coachbuilder, but the successful evolution of an entire craft from the age of the horse to the age of the motor car and the aeroplane.

As the Company approaches the 350th anniversary of its Royal Charter, there can be few Past Masters who better illustrate the Company’s ability to adapt to changing times while remaining true to its founding principles. William Lawton Goodman’s career reminds us that although the vehicles have changed beyond recognition, the centuries-old skills of the British coachbuilder continue to find relevance for each succeeding generation in a rapidly changing world.

During the weekend of 4th-5th July 2026, coaching enthusiasts from all over the world gathered at Chateau de Prye, near Nevers in France, to celebrate “the Road”. The skill and enduring appeal of Lawton craftsmanship is epitomized by the Royal Sovereign Road Coach, pictured above. Owner, Cesare Martignoni tooled his expressive Gelderlander team to this wonderful example of the English coachbuilder’s art.

Reference Material:

1. “The Best of British”, by Kevin Desmond, published in ‘Old Motor’, May 1981.
2. “Whitlock, Coachbuilding to Cars”, Michael Williams, ‘The Automobile’, July, 1996.
3. Company Catalogue: “The Lawton Line of High Grade Vehicles”, c. 1910.
4. David Grimstead, prewar.com, October, 2020.
5. ‘Lincolnshire Echo’, 17 Dec. 1913