Period Caravan

[Owain]

For those wanting to take your home with you on holiday, the joys of caravanning might be taboo to those allergic to electric light, nylon moquette upholstery and the laminated furniture of dreams.

However I spotted an alternative.

Gas lighting.

Coal fire.

Valve gramophone (not sure if that's included).

Vosper Thornycroft living van. It is believed that this was one of the first built in 1946 by Vosper's of Southhampton for Botton Brothers Amusements.
It was sold to the Nichol's family in 1952 they used the show engine Princess Mary to travel with and the wagon behind it.

Advertised on Ebay

 

[JoceAndChris]

Wow- love that - thanks for posting the pictures! What a beauty! Your description of the modern caravan also really struck a chord - growing up in the 80s and as a teenager being dragged rather reluctantly on caravanning holidays in the rain ought to be the subject of a Mike Leigh film - perhaps it is.

No disrespect to those who do enjoy it though - my Dad lives for caravanning and despite being nearly 80 drags it to France for 8 weeks of the year, with my poor Mum in tow knitting various sundries to brighten up the interior.

There are other interesting period caravans in Yorks - we had a very enjoyable 40th party in a group of them. I can't recommend this highly enough as a drunken weekend with huge campfire and a comfy night's sleep in an Elvis caravan. It's worth going for the toilet experience alone- which is a candlelit 19th C shepherd's hut.
http://www.larosa.co.uk/gallery.html

 

[Flyfisher]

A tad on the large side but a lovely thing nevertheless.

A friend has two living vans, one of which he used to tow to steam rallies behind his traction engine. His engine has been laid up for many years now awaiting some boiler work that my friend won't entrust to anyone else but who, frankly, is unlikely to ever get around to doing himself.

His living vans are therefore parked up in a corner of his garden gradually decaying and being swallowed up in vegetation. I keep reminding him that I could provide a temporary home for one (or both) of them but he's too attached to all his stuff (he has a 'garden' that would give Fred Dibnah a run for his money!) to let it go.

I keep an eye out for any for sale but they (and their close relative the Shepherd's Hut) seem to have become quite fashionable these days with price tags to match.

 

[88v8]

Love the woodwork in these vans. Like a land yacht.
A smaller and more affordable one, look you
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C420473

Ivor