Winston Churchill hearse restored for use in Bristol

"The preservation of everything was crucial," said restorer Jo Burge

The hearse used to carry the body of wartime leader Winston Churchill has been brought back into use by a city funeral director.

The 1964 Austin Princess transported Churchill during his State Funeral in 1965 and was later used by various funeral companies.

It then fell into disrepair, until Bristol Memorial Woodlands had it restored to its former glory.

It took three years to carry out the "comprehensive" restoration.

"It wasn't really the car we were restoring, it was the story," said Jo Burge of Classic Marine Engines in Suffolk.

Mr Burge said the car would likely have been scrapped were it not for its history

Mr Burge, who carried out the restoration, said: "It was a comprehensive overhaul that took us three years as we wanted everything to stay as authentic as possible and source all the correct parts."

He said when stripping down the body of the vehicle "loads of junk" that had fallen into cracks between the seats emerged.

Mr Burge found an old packet of cigarettes from the 1960s and "little cards from different funeral directors around the country, all telling a tale of where it had been".

The hearse was used for so long the wear and tear on the machinery was "pretty breath-taking"

"It was an interesting project - we had a vehicle that had steel bolt-on wings, of the type used on some of the earliest vehicles, aluminium on the front doors and fibreglass at the back.

"We also found that some of the interior that looked like wood was in fact Formica wood effect, and we had never worked on restoring Formica before," added Mr Burge.

"Apart from a small change to the fuel delivery system, which was necessary for safety, it is restored to how it was in the 1960s."

It was "amazing" the car still worked considering its condition, Mr Burge said

"It was a privilege to work on it. It's really good to see that it will now be doing another 50 or 60 years of service in the trade," Mr Burge said.

The historic vehicle will be available for funerals with the Bristol company at its 100-acre site near Alveston.

Christopher Baker, founder of Memorial Woodlands said the hearse's history made it appropriate for military families "or for anyone who has a sense of history".

Churchill, who was born in Blenheim, Oxfordshire, was given a state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral

He added: "Churchill's funeral was a magnificent event that saw the largest gathering of world leaders during the 1960s.

"His body was conveyed on a gun carriage, down the Thames on board the MV Havengore and then on to a train named in his honour to Oxfordshire where he was buried."

By coincidence, the MV Havenghore was also restored at same time as the hearse.