1813 Lionel Lukin Coachmaker Faults Bognor Letter Inventor Unsinkable Lifeboat For Sale

1813 AUTOGRAPH LETTER TO LUKIN & BEECH / LUKIN & ALLEN, LONG ACRE –BAROUCHE REPAIRS – CHICHESTER PENNY POST – LIONEL LUKIN, INVENTOR OF THEUN‑CAPSIZABLE LIFEBOAT

Description: An excellent four‑page folded letter, dated Bognor, 13 August 1813, written to the London coach‑making firm Lukin & Beech, with the address panel (4th page) directed to Lukin & Allen, Long Acre, London. The outer wrapper bears a clear CHICHESTER PENNY POST handstamp and circular date‑stamp 14 NOV 1813.

The letter concerns serious mechanical failures in a barouche, including repeated spring breakage, a cross‑bar iron snapping, and deterioration of the lining. The writer reports dangerous failure while travelling with Lady S and children to Goodwood, giving unusually detailed technical information on early 19th‑century carriage suspension.

This correspondence is directly associated with Lionel Lukin (1742–1834), the celebrated London coach‑builder and inventor of the first “unimmergible” lifeboat. Lukin’s workshops in Long Acre, Covent Garden operated under multiple junior partnerships, including Lukin & Beech and Lukin & Allen, both attested in 1813. The letter provides rare insight into the working structure of Lukin’s enterprise and the repair networks between Sussex and London.

Highlights:

• 1813 autograph letter with full content

• Addressed internally to Lukin & Beech

• Posted to Lukin & Allen, Long Acre, Covent Garden

• Clear CHICHESTER PENNY POST and 14 NOV 1813 date‑stamp

• Detailed carriage‑repair report: springs, cross‑bar, lining, dicky seat

• Strong connection to Lionel Lukin, noted inventor and postal‑history, transport‑history, and engineering‑history interest

• Complete folded letter with original address panel

Lukin’s lifeboat invention gives this letter cross‑disciplinary appeal to collectors of maritime history, RNLI precursors, engineering, and London coach‑making. The dual partnership names (Beech and Allen) on the same 1813 letter provide rare documentary evidence of Lukin’s multi‑workshop business structure in Long Acre.

A fine and uncommon piece of early 19th‑century coach‑making correspondence, directly linked to one of Britain’s notable inventors.

Condition as photos. All items can be returned for a full refund if found to be not as described.

Lionel Lukin (May 1742 – Feb 1834) was a British carriage builder and inventor, noted for the invention of the \'unimmergible\' class=\"MsoNormal\">From a single owner collection of 3,000+ items. A chaotic uncatalogued miscellany of items from 17th to 20th Century.

Containing, amongst many other things: ALSs (Autograph Letters Signed); Signed Photos, Posters, Ephemera, Album pages; Clipped Signatures; Signed Free Fronts; Misc Manuscript Items; etc, etc.

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