The British Railways Standard Mark 1 coach was introduced in 1951 and, over a period of about ten years, the new fleet of coaches replaced pre-war designed rolling stock on most principal routes in the United Kingdom.

The design was used for passenger hauled stock, multiple unit carriages and non-passenger carrying stock; passenger stock construction taking place between 1951 and 1963, while multiple units and non-passenger carrying stock continued to be built until 1974.

The final withdrawal of Mark 1 stock from daily mainline use came in 2005. However, the type continue in mainline charter service, as well as on many heritage railways.