The beautiful black Balmoral cloaked in protective wrapping would be a fitting gift for the Royal baby, due this week.

With the impending birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first child said to be only days away, staff at the Silver Cross assembling plant in Keighley are hoping the royal couple will choose the brand already familiar within the royal household.

The company’s Heritage baby carriages have already carried many new royals. In the 1920s, Silver Cross supplied a baby carriage to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother.

In subsequent years, Silver Cross was the Queen’s choice when selecting a pram for the infant Prince Charles, and Prince William is understood to have been pushed around in a Silver Cross as a baby, too.

For staff at the company’s assembling plant, creating a carriage for a potential future King or Queen is an exciting prospect yet nobody is revealing for definite whether it is a ‘done deal’.

“We would be delighted with any association and we are keeping everything crossed, but that is all we can do at the moment,” says Nick Paxton, Silver Cross chief executive officer.

Tradition is something Silver Cross continues to trade on. In a society obsessed by modern technology here, within a relatively modern unit on a business park, some of the original tools, including a baker lite body press once used in the company’s early factories in Guiseley and Leeds, are continuing to craft these iconic baby carriers originally created by inventor and engineer, William Wilson.

Back in 1877, William combined his ideas for an innovative spring suspension system with a handy reversible hood. The modern pram was born. Once patented, this revolutionary transport became the template for all prams constructed under the brand name since.

The sight of a Silver Cross pram evokes memories for everyone who has been associated with the brand. Whether you were carried in one as a child, you invested in one for your newborn or you knew someone who had one of the prams, the sight of one prompts reminiscences and reactions.

For Andrea Littlewood, Silver Cross is very much part of her family. She played in the company’s nursery while her mother, Pauline Conroy, worked on the production line at Guiseley.

Andrea was five when her mum started working for the firm. Aged 21, and unbeknown to her mum, Andrea went for a job there, too. Her mum supervised her for a while, and 27 years later, Andrea has harnessed those skills and is now working on the production of the company’s Heritage brand.

Before her on the bench is a beautiful pink doll’s pram hood. Plastic tubs of shiny screws and rivets are ready for Andrea to attach the finishing touches, right down to the silver hood arm joints embossed with the Yorkshire Rose, a symbol of the county where this pram is lovingly produced.

“I enjoy it,” says Andrea, gently shaping the beautiful pink fabric around the hood.

Each pram has around 200 components. The Balmoral, which was, until the launch of the limited edition Aston Martin-inspired pram, the most expensive within the brand, costing £1,500 compared to the £2,000 Aston, has 250 components.

The Heritage prams are lovingly crafted with Sheffield steel frames. Parts are crafted in Brighouse using the original mahogany tooling, the chroming and fabric coating is carried out in Lancashire and the assembling in Keighley.

Dating back 140 years, the heritage brand once produced in Guiseley – the site is now home to housing – is renowned throughout the world, with enthusiasts ranging from the rich and famous to everyday people.

In an era when everything has become so mass-marketed, it is wonderful to see a product being hand-crafted from start to finish.

Peter West joined the company 41 years ago and met his wife Maureen there. Maureen used to work on the production line. Peter cuts the fabrics and is involved in creating the hoods and aprons. He has helped to produce prams for royalty and rock stars including Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster.

“There’s always that link – you can say I helped to build that,” says Peter, proudly.

David Reeve is one of the team instrumental in assembling the prams. Having worked for the company since 1979, David had the best mode of transport for his newborn literally at his fingertips. His daughter, Amber Chloe, is now a 20-year-old fashion designer, but David can still remember the Silver Cross Wayfarer, he believes was a proto-type back then.

The fact that Silver Cross prams are passed from generation to generation is testimony to the brand being built to last.

“They are solid and sturdy,” says David – and he should know.

The rigorous testing the prams undergo on a rolling road before making their way out to more than 200 stockists throughout the country – they also have a shop in Hong Kong – ensures the completed product meets stringent safety requirements.

“It is a good product to make; it’s Silver Cross and you are proud saying it. It’s like Rolls Royce,” says David.

Of course, the company is meeting the demand for modern trends, too, producing a range of urban chic and stylish travel systems and pushchairs. The company also has a nursery range producing bedding and furniture.

Nick Paxton says the brand’s strapline ‘the best start in life’ reaches out to parents as well as placing the company’s importance in the marketplace where it is instantly recognisable.

Such is the pedigree of the Silver Cross pram, the company is currently involved in another collaboration with a stalwart British retail institution, John Lewis. Dipping into its image archive, the company chose a Silver Cross pram to feature in its windows as part of a 150-year revival.

“They have asked Silver Cross to produce a Balmoral to feature in their windows,” says Nigel Roberts, managing director of Silver Cross’s heritage division.

Nigel explains they are reproducing the fabric from 150 years ago which will feature on 50 limited edition Silver Cross prams being sold to commemorate the occasion.

Within the same site, the Silver Cross team also look after the restorations of prams passed down the generations. “We have a healthy business in restoration. People will pay as much for a restoration as they will for a brand new pram,” says Nigel, who estimates they restore between 30 and 40 heritage prams annually.

“Everyone has a take on Silver Cross and all that history means so much to us,” he adds.