Given such, Mike Rowland, with over a half century of experience in the trade, was awarded the distinction of Master Wheelwright in 2016. He is also a Yeoman with the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights, one of the 110 Livery Companies of the City of London. The Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1670, with an original purpose to regulate the manufacture and quality of handmade wooden wheels. Today, the Company is primarily a philanthropic and social organization, which places particular emphasis on providing financial support for wheeled mobility and education as well as supporting the Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation.
Greg Rowland has followed in the family tradition, and now – with his father’s retirement – continues to manage the shop and build for the future. He has worked in the trade since 1991, receiving the designation of Master Wheelwright in 2014. Greg has been featured on several television programs, including The Repair Shop, Devon & Cornwall, and Wheeler Dealers. Greg won the Heritage Crafts Association Trainer of the Year award in 2021 and in the same year he was honored with an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), awarded to him for services rendered to Heritage Crafts. Greg now serves on the court of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights. He and his father are currently the only father and son Master Wheelwrights in the world.
Greg has recently been joined at the company by his son-in-law, Sam. Sam is a Freeman with the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights, who qualified in 2023 and won the inaugural Robin Wood Changemaker award at the Heritage crafts awards, given to someone who “steps up and goes beyond the call of duty,” as Sam did by stepping in when Greg was injured after a motorcycle accident. An interesting aside or twist in the family history came as Sam took the Rowland name when marrying Greg’s daughter so the business could continue operating under Mike Rowland & Son Master Wheelwrights and Coachbuilders. While the opportunity was there for Greg’s daughter to join operations, as she knows how to make and restore wheels (she made the wheels for her wedding carriage), she has chosen to pursue her own path as a midwife – something her father proudly supports. The change in name was neither something needed nor asked: but the gesture touched Greg deeply.
And finally, with business continuing to improve, Greg has hired a third person, Mark Reader-Hoer, to assist with orders. Mark, an experienced carriage restorer and coach painter, has restored some of the most prestigious horsedrawn vehicles seen today. Mark is also a Journeyman with the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers.
What Exactly is a Wheelwright?
As mentioned earlier, a wheelwright is a craftsperson who makes or repairs wooden wheels. These wheels can range in size from those large enough to support a Roman trebuchet (a siege engine used by the Romans and other civilizations in the Middle Ages to hurl or catapult heavy stones against enemy walls) to farm carts, wooden bicycles, and cannons to state and road coaches and fine vehicles. Mike Rowland & Son Wheelwrights & Coachbuilders specializes in military wheel manufacture, as well as repairing and restoring all kinds of wooden cannons.
The training for wheelwrights is often passed down from father to son or daughter, or son-in-law, or through more formal training arranged through apprenticeship programs with a guild. But across time, wheelwrights develop their own methods and techniques. When examining samples of wheels made, a knowledgeable person can identify the craftsman who did the work.
But this, of course, makes for an interesting discussion. Several people see the making and repairing of wheels to be a heritage craft and argue that all wheels should be made in the “traditional” way. Oftentimes, these people are “keyboard warriors” who might have down a lot of research in books or online but possess no
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