A master wheelwright whose work is so skilled he repairs the Queen’s royal carriages has been appointed an MBE.
Gregory Rowland, 52, is one of a small number of expert tradesmen still using traditional methods to make and fix wooden wheels.
Mr Rowland, from Honiton in Devon, runs Mike Rowland & Son Wheelwrights and Coachbuilders – a firm started by his father in 1964.
Mr Rowland spoke of his shock at receiving the news.
“Total surprise, I had no idea and just gobsmacked really,” he said.
“I’m just humbled that I have a little old workshop that does traditional things – it’s amazing really. It’s all a bit of blur to be fair.
“You never expect anything like this and I certainly didn’t. Somebody higher up has appreciated that, which is quite humbling really.
“It’s just old fashioned – there used to be thousands of me but there are not anymore.”
Mr Rowland is among dozens of people in the South West named in the Queen's Birthday honours.
Others include Alexis Bowater from Devon who has been honoured with an OBE for services to the Safety and Equality of Women, Bristol-based Dr David Malcolm Brohn. Founder of E-Training Systems Ltd is honoured with an MBE for services to engineering and The Met Office's Dr Helene Theresa Hewitt, Science Fellow Ocean Modelling receives an OBE for services to Climate Science. (Scroll below for the full list)
Mr Rowland has been appointed an MBE for services to heritage crafts. His business has held a Royal Warrant since 2005 and is one of only two firms that look after carriages for The Queen.
The father-of-two trained as an apprentice with his father, Mike, 85, having spent five years in the Army as a Land Rover mechanic and has now been a wheelwright for 31 years.
He produces or restores about 200 wheels a year working from the purpose-built workshop in Colyton where he and his father have made or restored many horse-drawn vehicles, such as carriages, wagons and trade vehicles.
The firm is a specialist military wheel and cannon restorer and have renovated many wooden gun carriages to their former glory.
Among the work he has carried out is the restoration of the Covent Garden market barrows and more recently helped renovate an 1865 gun for the National Army Museum in Chelsea.
“My father started this business in 1964 and we’ve traced our family line of wheelwrights back to 1331,” Mr Rowland said.
“We’ve got a huge history of wheelwrights and the people in 1331 were about seven miles away from us now and had the same name.
“I’ve just found out one of my direct great, great, great grandfathers was a wheelwright about 100 yards from where I’m sitting now.”
The Royal Warrant was a very small part of his trade and most of his work came from the UK, with Royal Navy field gun racing a growing market.
Mr Rowland is also working to ensure his skills are passed down to future generations as he employs one of only two wheelwright apprentices in the country and has been instrumental in developing a national syllabus and training methods for them.
His apprentice, Sam Phillips, will also be joining the family as he is engaged to one of Mr Rowland’s daughters.
“Heritage crafts can be a strange old world and people can be very insular with their knowledge,” he said.
“If you progress it and try and bring it into the 20th century it’s something that can be done and passing it on is the way to go.”
Queen's Birthday Honours in the South West
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Virginia Caroline Bennett. Senior Lawyer, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Legal Advisers, Government Legal Department. For services to Climate Change Law. (Salisbury, Wiltshire)
Alexis Bowater. For services to the Safety and Equality of Women. (Devon)
Nicholas Capaldi. Chief Executive, Arts Council of Wales. For services to the Arts. (Cheltenham, Gloucestershire)
Claire Elizabeth Dorer. Chief Executive Officer, The National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools. For services to Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. (Chudleigh, Devon)
Professor Saul Nicholas Faust. Professor of Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases and Director, National Institute for Health and Care Research Southampton Clinical Research Facility, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. For services to the Covid-19 Response. (Bournemouth, Dorset)
Elizabeth Jane Fenton. Deputy Chief Nurse, Health Education England. For services to the Nursing Profession. (Tewskesbury, Gloucestershire)
David Anthony Harris. For Political and Public Service. (Truro, Cornwall)
Dr Helene Theresa Hewitt. Science Fellow Ocean Modelling, Meteorological Office. For services to Climate Science. (Sidmouth, Devon)
Gillian Ann Holmes. Deputy Director, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to Public Service. (St Ives, Cornwall)
Christian Kyle Irwin. Industry Programme Director, Network Rail. For services to the Rail Industry. (Bristol, Bristol)
Warren Marks. Senior Principal Scientist, Applied Data Science, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. For services to Defence and Security. (Salisbury, Wiltshire)
Emma McClarkin. Chief Executive Officer, British Beer and Pub Association. For services to the Hospitality Sector, particularly during Covid-19. (Stroud, Gloucestershire)
Caroline Anne Rose Norbury MBE. Chief Executive, Creative UK. For services to the Creative Sector. (Dursley, Gloucestershire)
Lisa Pascoe. Deputy Director, Social Care Policy, Ofsted. For services to Children’s Services. (Bristol, Bristol)
Professor Sarah Purdy. Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Bristol and General Practitioner, Sea Mills Surgery, Bristol. For services to General Practice. (Bristol, Bristol)
Thomas Charles Rivett-Carnac. Founding Partner, Global Optimism. For services to Tackling Climate Change. (Totnes, Devon)
Bruce Scammell. Team Leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence. (Gloucestershire)
Professor Sarah Smith. Professor of Economics, University of Bristol. For services to Economics and to Education. (Bristol, Bristol)
Jonathan Winston Sparkes. For services to Homeless People. (St Austell, Cornwall)
James Trout. Manager, Environment Agency. For services to the Support of Young Scientists with Disabilities and to the Covid-19 Response. (Kingsteignton, Devon)
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Bridgette Mary Angell. Head of Recreation and Visitor Experience, Forestry England and Co-Chair, Outdoor Recreation Network. For services to Forestry and to Outdoor Recreation. (Ebrington, Gloucestershire)
Janet Ann Bell. Director, Glastonbury Abbey. For services to Heritage. (Wells, Somerset)
Barry Adam Boffy. Head of Inclusion and Diversity, British Transport Police. For services to Policing. (Bristol, Bristol)
Dr Zara Nanu. Founder, Gapsquare. For services to tackling global workplace inequalities and promoting fairness and inclusion. (Bristol, Bristol)
Dr David Malcolm Brohn. Founder, E-Training Systems Ltd. For services to Structural Engineering. (Bristol, Bristol)
Angela Jane Burns. For Political and Public Service. (Salisbury, Wiltshire)
Gillian Anne Sinclair Clarke. Captain, 1st Amesbury Girls’ Brigade Company. For services to Young People and to the community in Amesbury, Wiltshire. (Salisbury, Wiltshire)
Paul Charles Crossman. Lead Staff Officer, Headquarters Regional Command, Combined Cadet Force. For services to Young People. (St Austell, Cornwall)
Annabelle Jean Doherty. Lately Head, Strategy and Policy, Home Office and HM Prison and Probation Service. For services to Law and Order. (Bristol, Bristol)
Ian James Donohue. Assistive Technology Subject Matter Expert, Digital and Technology, Ministry of Justice. For services to Inclusion. (Teignmouth, Devon)
Norman Edwards. Founder, Trustee and Chair, Care Home Volunteers. For services to Care Home Residents during Covid-19. (Swindon, Wiltshire)
Sara Griffiths. For services to Education. (Truro, Devon)
Jane Margaret Jones. Head of Public Affairs, Great Western Railway. For services to the Railway Industry. (Plymouth, Devon)
Ian Richard Mean. For services to the community in Gloucestershire. (Gloucester, Gloucestershire)
Dr Ian Stuart Miller. Lately Chief Medical Officer, British Paralympic Association. For services to Paralympic Sport. (Clevedon, Somerset)
Gregory Michael Rowland. Master Wheelwright. For services to Heritage Crafts. (Honiton, Devon)
Andrew Peter Ryan. Executive Director, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. For services to Sport. (Cheltenham, Gloucestershire)
Iris Muriel Sumption. Work Coach, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to Vulnerable People. (Kingsbridge, Devon)
Rhys David Thomas. Deployed Caseworker, Ministry of Defence. For Public Service. (Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset)
Aisha Simone Lolita Thomas. Founder, Representation Matters. For services to Education. (Bristol, Bristol)
Judd Trump. For services to Snooker and to Charity. (Bristol, Bristol)
Ameeta Virk. Markets Leader, Department for International Trade. For services to the Economy. (Bristol, Bristol)
John Douglas Wellingham. Founder, The John Loosemore Centre. For services to Early Music Education. (Newton Abbot, Devon)
Virginia Jill Williams-Ellis. Founder, Read Easy UK. For services to Education. (Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire)
Susan Elizabeth Wills. Assistant Director, Lifelong Learning and Culture, Surrey County Council. For services to Public Libraries. (Salisbury, Wiltshire)
Timothy Philip Woodward. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Country Food Trust and Trustee, The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Trust. For services to Charity, particularly during Covid-19. (Drayton, Somerset)
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)
Jayne Frances Begley. Dental Practice Manager, Defence Primary Healthcare. For Public Service. (Westbury, Wiltshire)
Calvin John Bird. For services to the community in Somerset, particularly during Covid-19. (Bath, Somerset)
Nigel James Brooks. For services to Musical Theatre and to the Music Industry. (Barnstaple, Devon)
John Stephen Brooksbank. Co-founder and Secretary, Paignton Town Community Partnership. For services to the community in Devon. (Torquay, Devon)
Matthew Cambourne. Train Planner, Great Western Railway. For services to the Covid-19 response. (Kingswood, Gloucestershire)
Geoffrey George Clark. Area Manager, Bristol and Bath and North East Somerset. For voluntary service to St John Ambulance. (Bristol, Bristol)
John Daly. Teacher, Marland Residential School, Devon. For services to Young People. (Ilfracombe, Devon)
Dawn Louise Dolphin. Co-founder and Chair, Gloucestershire Bundles. For charitable services to Disadvantaged People in Gloucestershire. (Gloucester, Gloucestershire)
Rebekah Honor Joan Hartley. Lately Manager, Project Phoenix, Great Western Railway. For services to the Covid-19 Response. (Swindon, Wiltshire)
Wendy Heathman. School Administrator, United Schools Federation. For services to Education in Devon. (Ashburton, Devon)
Colin Charles Hurst. Co-founder and Secretary, Paignton Town Community Partnership. For services to the community in Devon. (Torquay, Devon)
Charles Louvaine Forrest Knight. Volunteer, Poole Housing Partnership. For services to the community in Poole, Dorset. (Poole, Dorset)
Patricia Mathie. Founder and Head Coach, Avonbourne Gym Club. For services to Gymnastics in Bournemouth. (Bournemouth, Dorset)
Major (Rtd) Robert Clive McDonald. Chairman, County of Somerset and City of Bristol, Royal British Legion. For voluntary service to Veterans. (Williton, Somerset)
Charlotte Elizabeth Murray. Deputy Head of Security and Resilience, Great Western Railway. For services to the Railway Industry during Covid-19. (Plymouth, Devon)
Lieutenant Commander Carol Ann Rashleigh. For services to the community in Plymouth, Devon. (Plymouth, Devon)
Grace Angela Redgrave. Principal, Bristol School of Dancing. For services to Dance. (Bristol, Bristol)
Roger Sleeman. For services to the community in Somerford Keynes, Gloucestershire. (Cirencester, Gloucestershire)
Melanie Jane Stoodley. Personal Assistant to the Principal and Chief Executive, Strode College, Somerset. For services to Education. (Glastonbury, Somerset)
Jaqueline Margaret Tucker. Team Leader, Environment Agency. For services to the Environment and to Young People. (Newton Abbot, Devon)
