what a fascinating design !!

It has the same cutaway as JBJ's Lucelle.
Although a much more conventional chassis.
Nice van.

Reddo Pres ...RSPBCA ;D

Mark..
I tend to agree. Judys van appears a bit too "Flat in the face." needs to be a bit more "rounded" at the front. Still .. a unique piece of van history.... and its homemade from "gods gift to the caravaning world"....

Reddo

Mark, I recall reading somewhere about a van design with that idea. Something to do with hilly areas and crossing fords?
Maybe their driveway was very steep? There are a few places around near me, where people live chipped into the side of a hill, the're driveways go up at amazing angles and they need all the clearance they can get.

I've also seen a bus like this. it was specifically modified becase it had a ferry crossing as part of its route and needed the overhang clearance to get on and off it...

That or he buggered up the plans

From Judy:

Hi Mark

I guess I should have put a few question marks after the claim of
Jennison Pathfinder. My only evidence is based on the fact that my father kept a Jennison Pathfinder sheet amongst the early documents relating to the caravan. And the van does look similar.

But he always commented on the swept up rear of the van and how good it was going over bumps and dips and entry from driveway to road. I feel sure that he would not have kept this sheet if it was not relevant to the van's
history. I have scanned the document and attached it.

There are two early receipts dated december 1956 and august 1957.

Judy

unbelievable .....by golly ;D ....I think you're
right Cobber

single skin construction would make for lightweight, but how could you have a caravan with non opening windows surely not

Mark

Having another hard look at these windows I suppose there is a possibility that the front and rear windows might open... the entire plywood panel they are mounted in could be hinged at the top, but I reckon she'd be a bit tricky to seal around the edges to prevent water entry

The fourth photo down is interesting to me too ... not having seen this “Clipper” type construction in the flesh it looks as though the rear panel, and the front one too I suppose, goes over the top of the cross rail and blends into the floor level.... not the way it's usually done..... know what I mean

Cobber.

Cobber,
I think your observation is correct. I did a copy/paste and then blew the pics up. There appears to be something like a piano hinge across the top of the timber above both front and back windows. Also appears to be a line down the centre between each window at front and back. Actually, at the front it looks like a piece of timber down the middle between two large window 'frames'. One interior shots shows part of the fly screen in the van ceiling, this looks like a two piece, possibly hinting at a large 'Jennison' style roof hatch. I don't discount FF's suggestion of windows in the sides being replaced later, but perhaps with F&R opening windows and a large roof hatch, the side windows may have need fixed? bear in mind that until the very late sixties, many vans had a fixed rear window and small roof hatches...also once you fit an annex, the LHS windows are often useless in summer since the heat in an annex can be worse than in the van.

I found over christmas that the huge roof hatch in my Ambassador was fantastic for letting heat escape in the early evening....and it has a fixed glass rear window.
Sorry, enough said...I think I just re-wrote war and peace ;D
Cheers,
gristy

You read my mind firefighter, Mark is there a chance a look at that jennison sheet?? regards..

herewith Jennison: