Andrew Barlow, Keeper of the Royal Pavilion, with the wood for Britannia. © The Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums, Brighton & Hove

Part of Brighton’s Royal Pavilion is being used to decorate a new state coach for the Queen.

A 6cm square by 1.5cm deep piece of wood from the palace’s roof timbers will decorate the coach Britannia, which is being designed and built as a birthday gift for the Queen by Australian Jim Frecklington.

The wood came from one of the roof voids along the spine of the building and was removed so that a metal support bracket could be fitted.

“I am delighted that the city will be represented in such a visible symbol of Britain’s heritage,” said Councillor David Smith, Chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Culture, Tourism and Recreation Committee.

“We’ve never had a request quite like this before – we don’t usually give away bits of our precious Royal Pavilion. However, the continuous restoration work taking place in the roof has meant we can be a part of this new tradition.”

The State Coach Britannia being designed and built by Jim Frecklington. Courtesy Jim Frecklington

Along with the contribution from the Royal Pavilion, Britannia will include material from many other historic sites and is designed to represent Britain’s national heritage.

The central crown adorning the roof is carved from timber taken from HMS Victory, the coach contains a segment of the Stone of Destiny (Stone of Scone) and the interior contains pieces from all the royal palaces.

The project has the approval of Buckingham Palace, and Prince Phillip, well known for his interest in carriage driving, has been consulted in its design.

Frecklington previously designed and built the Australian State Coach which was a gift from Australia to Britain and is used by the Queen for the State Opening of Parliament.

The coach was financed with the assistance of the Australian government and will be flown to London once finished and presented to the Queen and will be used for state occasions in the future.