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Post by lancashirelad on Apr 23, 2007 0:54:13 GMT 10
Hello! I thought I would add a couple of pictures of my 1935 Winchester, purchased last year off eBay. It was all a bit of a gamble, really, not least because I bought the caravan without seeing it first of all and there was somebody else bidding furiously against me right up until the final seconds. Thankfully, it was in near-perfect condition when I collected it. Barry.    |
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Post by cornishlass on Apr 23, 2007 5:25:42 GMT 10
Hi Barry So, you made it over to the other side, good to see you here. ;D ;D Lovely to see pictures of your van again. It makes dreams of mine seem as though they could become a reality  which, might I add, is coming along now at a steady pace after a bad start to the year for me  I have now joined the HCC (Historic Caravan Club to all you 'down under') so will no doubt catch up with you sometime in the future. Cornish Lass |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2007 8:15:20 GMT 10
Hi Barry The quality of the fit out of the English vans is nothing short of perfection  . i love both of your vans although if you have been watching this site for a while you would have realised by now i love timber vans. You are extremely lucky to own two beautifull vans. I am sure that when cobber finds your posts he will strike up an instant friendship with you. He is our resident expert on old English vans. Welcome to the site ... enjoy your stay.. We hope it is a long one. Reddo.. Newcastle.. NSW. |
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Post by cobber on Apr 23, 2007 8:25:12 GMT 10
G'day Barry, and welcome to our site, Your '35 Winchester is real class. When you say it was in near-perfect condition when you bought it, does this indicate the photos show it pretty much in the condition you got it ? It's gorgeous...excuse me....I'm drooling. Are the gutter down-pipes original equipment, does it have an ice box or fridge ? I don't know if you noticed my post on your "Vintage & Classic Caravan" site but I am still trying to identify my van which I am convinced is inspired by English design or maybe even brought to Oz from the UK See it at -- www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/forum/phpbb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2444&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0Do you think it could be a Car-light ? Cornish Lass, How about some progress shots of your restoration please, the Winchester gives you some inspiration I bet. Cobber. |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Apr 23, 2007 8:36:54 GMT 10
Hello Barry,
So glad you've connected up with the forum and shared some photos of the Winchester. It really is a superb van and in wonderful condition. Beautiful woodwork both inside and out. No wonder you got Reddo's attention!
How much do you know about its history? Can you tell us some vital statistics please - length, width, number of berths, etc?
It is fascinating just how different Australian and English vans of the era were. You will no doubt have already realised that if you've been looking at some of the earlier Australian vans shown on the forum. Seemingly there are more 1930's UK than Australian vans still around. Maybe that's because there were more of them built, or perhaps they were more likely to be kept under cover and have therefore been preserved? What theories do you have on that Barry, Cornish Lass or UK Brian?
Anyway, welcome Barry. We'd love to see some more photos of the Winchester and also of your other van, which also looked in beautiful condition.
Don Ricardo
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Post by wildmanaus on Apr 23, 2007 9:48:30 GMT 10
Hello
Looks great it could be used for the Queen's holiday from the clasic and elegant internals
And is that your shed of inventions it looks a bit like reddos shed full of vans
Wildmanaus
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Post by Roehm3108 on Apr 24, 2007 17:33:19 GMT 10
Welcome Barry!! Good to hear from you too Cornish lass, hope all is well with you. Barry, those upper windows, would you call them clerestory windows?? They really aren't lanterroof windows, as they don't have a setback. A beautiful examply of old-fashioned handcraft there, and so well preserved. A great ebay pickup! Ray (from the very very dry Sunshine State)  |
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Post by ukbrian on Apr 25, 2007 18:27:50 GMT 10
Hello Barry, It is fascinating just how different Australian and English vans of the era were. You will no doubt have already realised that if you've been looking at some of the earlier Australian vans shown on the forum. Seemingly there are more 1930's UK than Australian vans still around. Maybe that's because there were more of them built, or perhaps they were more likely to be kept under cover and have therefore been preserved? What theories do you have on that Barry, Cornish Lass or UK Brian? Don Ricardo Don My personal theories on the survival rate: Perhaps it is just the concentration of VV enthsiasts on this forum, but it was my impression that a higher percentage seem to have survived in Oz than in the UK. Our Historic Caravan Club has probably fewer than 100 members and I doubt if more than half of them own pre-war caravans. The was an exchange a few months ago about the rainfall in our two countries and I was surprised to learn that some areas of Australia have much higher average rainfall than in London so that blew my theory about all of your country being a hot and dry climate to help the preservation of 30's vans. In the 30's there must have been more caravans on the roads of the UK than in Australia, but their construction of painted plywood, with hard setting sealants and canvas roofs that were prone to rot, meant their life was limited in our generally damp climate. But I really think it is the style of our homes that accounts for the few survivors. Because we are so crowded together in the UK, very few of us have the space around our houses to keep caravans at home, and even fewer have the space to build the large garages that I keep seeing at the homes of you guys. Unless you are in a very rural area you could not get planning permission to build a "shed" capable of housing a caravan in your back garden. Most owners keep their caravans at outdoor storage facilities that currently cost about Ausd 1000 a year. So when an old caravan started to deteriorate, it was often scrapped due to the cost of storing it. Bear in mind that our Caravans generally only get used for 4 weeks each year and odd weekends. Those that have survived may have been kept on farms, sometimes in the corner of a barn, but most had to live outside until they just crumbled away. This carried on right through 1950-1980. For Safari Caravans my estimate is that they made about 7000 caravans over this 30 year period and today less than 300 survive. I am sure that the same applies to all the major brands made during this period. Brian |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Apr 25, 2007 20:51:19 GMT 10
Hi Brian,
Interested in your comments. I was wondering about storage of vans in the UK, particularly in relation to the photos of Barry's vans which seemed to be taken in a shed where there are lots of other vans.
My comment regarding the number of 1930's vans still around in the UK, arose from the fact that pictures of beautifully restored/maintained 1930's vans like Barry's seem to pop up relatively frequently (although I guess we are really only talking about numbers in the tens rather than the hundreds or the thousands).
In Australia, 1930's vans are very rare - at least based on what we see on this forum - with Cobber's Ol '36, his other van and a couple of teardrops being some of the very few. Similarly there don't appear to be many 1940's vans still around either, although there are a few more, with our 1949 Don scraping in by a month and a half! The large majority of the vans shown on the forum are 1950's or 1960's. (Somebody can correct me if they think they I am wrong regarding the number of 30's and 40's vans.)
Just as in the UK, weather damage has been the biggest problem. The 1930's and 1940's vans were almost exclusively bondwood which have long since disintegrated into nothing if stored outside. It has been interesting to see from the forum that most of the 1930's and 1940's vans which turn up in reasonable or at least salvageable condition in Australia have been stored under cover for almost all of their existence. So maybe there are more similarities between the UK and Australia than one might initially think.
Thanks for your response to my questions.
Don Ricardo
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Post by cobber on Apr 25, 2007 21:09:54 GMT 10
G'day Brian, It's always good to have your input on this forum. At the moment we only have two or three pre-war vans on this forum, I think, and there are a few others in museums, and a couple of others owned by firms in the caravan industry (these figures are open for correction if members have other ideas). Looking at your "Old Classic Cars" and the "Historic Caravan club" sites I get the impression more have survived in the "Mother Country" than have been found here... so far. For some reason caravaning in England was a much more popular activity during the 20's and 30's than it was here and the history of your industry is much better documented than ours is. Your theory about Oz being a hot and dry climate still holds true, in most of Australia it doesn't rain every day (except Melbourne ) so vans do get a chance to dry out before she buckets down again. I like to think there are many more 30s and 40s vans yet to be found here, stashed away in old shearing sheds and chook sheds. Cobber. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2007 7:42:39 GMT 10
Sorry for getting of topic here for a moment. The Anzac day dawn service here in Newcastle was held at Nobbys Beach. Nobbys recorded the highest rain fall in Australia yesterday ....48mm ... or pretty much the old 2" in the old values. People got drenched but the service still went on. Has been raining here continuosly since Sunday afternoon and looks like doing so until next weekend. In stark contrast less than 50 miles away up the Hunter Valley where our dams are, we have recieved 3mm since the start of the week To all the farmers .. my thoufghts are with you. the climate and weather can deal a cruel hand  So anyone living near the coast with Bondwood vans definitely need to have a large shed or a large carport to protect thier precious vans from the ravages of wet weather and high humidity In closing i will repeat... I love the shape and fit out of those old Pomm....... ummmm English vans. Thier lantern roofs where the inspiration for the design of my replica TD. If i couldnt have a genuine english import i was determined i was going to create my own... just not on as grand a scale as the real ones. Plywood will never make an aceptable replacement for mahogony, cherrywood, cedar, oak and such timbers but one can always dream  Reddo |
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which, might I add, is coming along now at a steady pace after a bad start to the year for me 
. i love both of your vans although if you have been watching this site for a while you would have realised by now i love timber vans.
