Frederick W. Plaxton started a joinery business in Scarborough in 1907, and eventually expanded into construction too. Coachbuilding started in about 1919 when the ending of the First World War found a lot of ex-military vehicles which Plaxton decided to re-body. From 1920 coachbuilding was big enough for Plaxton to expand into new premises on Castle Street, Scarborough and hence the decision to use the 'castle' logo for Plaxton. Plaxton also bodied some Crossley cars, including those used on the 1922 Prince of Wales tour of Australia. However, most Plaxton bodies were supplied to companies in the north east of England, and it was only an award at the 1931 Olympia Show that gave Plaxton greater recognition. Although coachbuilding was suspended during the war years, deliveries started again in 1946 and Plaxton gained sales throughout Britain. During the 1950s the traditional layout of front engine with the driver seated beside it was challenged, as was the trend of using common design for lorry and bus chassis. Sentinel put an engine on its side between the front and rear axles and underneath the chassis, allowing more seats to be placed within the same chassis length and Plaxton responded to this innovation. Bedford and Commer were providing lightweight front-engined chassis which often proved better for coach bodies than the heavier AEC and Leyland products, but both lighter front-engined and newer central-engined chassis were coachbuilt by Plaxton. The striking Panorama Elite design of 1958 set a style that others tried to copy, and in 1970 Plaxton called in Ogle design to produce a successor to the Panorama.