Fisher Holivan - info needed please

[klaksmk1]

Hi there,
we have recently scored ourselves an old Fisher Holivan fourteen. 5 berth, imported from UK at some stahe of its life and thats all we know and now its ended up on our farm.
Does anyone know anything about these vans at all? if so please share all knowledge we know nothing about it, its former owner died so we wont ask him about it. have done heaps of searching on the internet but keep going round in circles or we find dead ends. have emailed a few UK companies and caravan clubs but i get no reply
the vans actaully not in bad nick. inside needs a bit of a tidy up and the tables need fixing - all quick easy jobs.
hope someone knows of these vans.
cheers, Kath

[klaksmk1]

loads of potential

[trub73]

Hi there, what an interesting looking van, certainly looks to be in good nik,
would love to see some interior pictures if you get a chance.

[klaksmk1]

Hi,
i guess noone knows about this van lol. nearly 40 views and one comment im now convinced its rarer then first thought.

Trub73
yeah i have some interior pics but theyre pretty crap. i will take the camera out there today and get some shots and post them up for ya.
cheers, Kath

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Klaksmk1,

There's some very limited info about Fisher vans in Andrew Jenkinson's book Caravans: The Story of British Trailer Caravans & Their Manufacturers - From 1960.

Fisher was started by Les & Alex Fisher (brothers? father & son?) and was based in Surrey, England. Jenkinson doesn't say when Fisher started up, but the company doesn't appear in his companion book about caravan history up to 1959, and he refers to a Fisher Holivan built in 1962, so I think it's safe to say that Fisher began manufacturing sometime between 1960 and 1962.

The reference to the 1962 Fisher Holivan says "From 1962...Fisher Holivan Junior put touring caravan ownership within reach of most car owners. At 8 ft x 5 ft, compact tourers...are what Fisher became famous for." Apparently vans as small as this were developed in the early 60's to be towed by the small British cars of the era - cars Australians would never even contemplate towing with...even a trailer!

There are a couple of more direct references in the book to Fisher (which I'll come to), but many of the references by Jenkinson to Fisher are about other manufacturers 'clashing head-on' with Fisher, or trying to cash in on Fisher's market. A comment is also made about other manufacturers building Fisher look-a-likes, and "Fisher-type tourers which were small in both length and width".

I take it from this that although Fisher wasn't necessarily one of the major manufacturers, or major brand names which people remember, they must have created a quite successful niche market for themselves through the 60's and early 70's.

The other snippets Jenkinson provides about Fisher are that:

• After pretty tough economic times in the UK, involving electricity shortages and reduced working weeks, Les and Alex sold their company in May 1973 (not sure to whom).
  
• Fisher was closed in 1980 during tough industrial conditions, but was then restarted as CX Caravans with some of their models looking very similar to the old Fisher models.
  

And that is as much I can tell you, but hopefully it is of some interest. I presume given the size of your van, it is a Holivan rather than a Holivan Junior.

Regarding rarity, there are not many English built caravans in Australia. There are only maybe half a dozen belonging to the thousand or so forum members, for example. They tend to be very well insulated because of UK climatic condition, and some even have a gas furnace in them - which always sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me, but then I never go caravanning in the snow! ;D ;D ;D The English vans also often look very luxurious to us Australians because they use a lot of polished wooden panelling, plush upholstery, etc.

There have been no other references to Fisher Holivans on the forum, so maybe you have the only one in Australia. If you want to get in contact other owners or find out more about the history of Fisher you probably need to keep bombarding the UK with emails, although you've had no answer so far.

There is some info in the Classic Caravans section of oldclassiccar.co.uk which you will find by clicking here. Just go down to the bottom of the webpage I given you the link to, and type in 'fisher' and/or 'fisher holivan' in the search tool. It will bring up a few references which may be of interest to you, maybe even some people you can contact in the UK.

Good luck with your search for info, and keep us informed. I'd also like to see some pics of your van when you are able to post them.

Don Ricardo

[klaksmk1]

i dont know how to put up lots of photos at once so please forgibe me doing one at a time

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Klaksmk1,

No need to apologise about the pics. There are instructions on how to post photographs on the forum in the 'Forum Guidelines and Helpful Hints' section here.

Basically you need to upload your photos to an online photo storage website called Photobucket (or Flickr or one of the others if you prefer), then copy and paste the Photobucket URL (web address) for the photos into your post on the forum. If you use that technique you can display as many photos as you like in a post, and the photos will (normally) be larger.

Hope that helps!

Don Ricardo

[klaksmk1]

hi Dave (olfarts)
the van is wood and alluminium on the outside
by our best reckoning (judging by the tag if we're right) the van weighs 598kgs very light and easy to tow. we towed it 250kms and hardly knew it was behind the car.
We are in the WA wheatbelt, so if you're around this way feel free to pm or email me and i'll give ya details of where to find us

[klaksmk1]

thanks Don,
for your effort in finding what info you did, greatly appreciated.
will post the pics as ssoon as i figure out photobucket.

[klaksmk1]

ok have used hubbys photobucket and with his help i managed to work it out the link to it is: s670.photobucket.com/albums/vv65/xdefltd/

---

Additional information - September 2017

Photos of Klaksmk1's Fisher Holivan caravan:





















Additional photos can be viewed by clicking on the Photobucket link above. Don Ricardo

[martf]

Aug 19, 2011 11:31:27 GMT 10 klaksmk1 said:

thanks guys

Hi klaksmk1, i have only just seen your post after quite a few years, so i should ask what info do you require?, although i don't know as much as i should, being as
L.& A. Fisher Caravans was started by my father Leslie and his brother Alex in the 1950's in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, U.K.
They started by doing caravan repairs in the early 50's, and then built one in our back garden in Kings rd. Kingston, although it may have been our grandmothers,,,,,not too sure,,,but a large tree fell on it and they had to repair that.
An old workshop building was rented next door to the old film studio in Walton where they started producing the first Holivan 8'series,  and just a few beautifully curvaceous longer 18'-22' 'vans, later built in larger numbers and lengths in the new premises in Annett road, Walton, which Leslie Fisher managed, and in the Bagshot, Surrey, factory, which Alex Fisher managed.
My brother and i both worked at the Annett rd. factory starting at a very young age during school holidays, and later permanently during the 1960's building mostly Holivans and the occasional 28',30'and 32'. There were also small fibreglass bodied models for a short while that were not very successful.
All Fisher Caravans were hand made by craftsmen in the two factories  except the chassis for the Holivans in later years were from an outside supplier.

I saw that Don Ricardo has made an excellent reply to your request , but i would be happy and proud to share any info i have knowledge of.
Also very proud to know that there are surviving Holivans, especially there in Australia.
Kind regards, Martin.

[franni]

Oh gosh, another English vintage caravan. i would love to know how many old English caravans there are in Australia. Our Safari is the only one that i have heard of that came overland, but it makes me wonder if there are many others out there and what are their stories. does anyone know if there is a register of vans that came from overseas pre 1970?
i know where there is a very nice 1958 Eccles [not mobile and not for sale]

[Deleted]

Hi Franni,
I have seen a few English vans over the years,a Safari,(not yours) a few Eccles,a Pemberton and others which I can't recall.
I also bought a little 10ft Sprite in the 80s from a couple that were allegedly connected to the British embassy in Canberra,beautiful little van that everyone wanted to look
Inside every time we pulled up!
Cheers
hughdeani

[Don Ricardo]

Jan 19, 2016 19:33:49 GMT 10 franni said:

Oh gosh, another English vintage caravan. i would love to know how many old English caravans there are in Australia. Our Safari is the only one that i have heard of that came overland, but it makes me wonder if there are many others out there and what are their stories. does anyone know if there is a register of vans that came from overseas pre 1970?
i know where there is a very nice 1958 Eccles [not mobile and not for sale]

Hi Franni,

There's an entry for UK caravans that have found their way to Australia in the Down History Lane index. I've just added Fisher Holivan and (your) Safari.

The list may not be complete, and I am happy to add to it if people can point me to the threads concerned.

Don Ricardo

[nandan]

Jan 19, 2016 0:38:21 GMT 10 martf said:

Aug 19, 2011 11:31:27 GMT 10 klaksmk1 said:

thanks guys

Hi klaksmk1, i have only just seen your post after quite a few years, so i should ask what info do you require?, although i don't know as much as i should, being as
L.& A. Fisher Caravans was started by my father Leslie and his brother Alex in the 1950's in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, U.K.
They started by doing caravan repairs in the early 50's, and then built one in our back garden in Kings rd. Kingston, although it may have been our grandmothers,,,,,not too sure,,,but a large tree fell on it and they had to repair that.
An old workshop building was rented next door to the old film studio in Walton where they started producing the first Holivan 8'series,  and just a few beautifully curvaceous longer 18'-22' 'vans, later built in larger numbers and lengths in the new premises in Annett road, Walton, which Leslie Fisher managed, and in the Bagshot, Surrey, factory, which Alex Fisher managed.
My brother and i both worked at the Annett rd. factory starting at a very young age during school holidays, and later permanently during the 1960's building mostly Holivans and the occasional 28',30'and 32'. There were also small fibreglass bodied models for a short while that were not very successful.
All Fisher Caravans were hand made by craftsmen in the two factories  except the chassis for the Holivans in later years were from an outside supplier.

I saw that Don Ricardo has made an excellent reply to your request , but i would be happy and proud to share any info i have knowledge of.
Also very proud to know that there are surviving Holivans, especially there in Australia.
Kind regards, Martin.

Hello,

I would like some info too! How to maintain it and how to renovate it. I live in the Netherlands and I have recently baught a Fisher Holyvan '10 type 310, who has been stalled in a farm for the last 40 years. There is a gas furnace in it and the people from the garage where it is now say it will be very expensive to make it work again. Is that so? Can I find the manufacturing guides of the van? Can I buy spare parts somewhere? Are there instruction manuals? I'd also like to have some more general info about my Fisher: weight, materials etc.

Thanx in advance and kind regards,

Nanette Danckaarts

(p.s. I have already tried English forums but they just give me the address of the Holyvan Club, no email or phone...So that doesn't work for me...)

[sully]

Hi there,
i have been reading your replies for the request for information which has been very interesting, hopefully  I will be able to supply more info for you.
I  worked for L & A Fisher  in Bagshot Surrey in the UK after leaving school in early 1976, I worked there for 4 years until the company closed. The history you have received so far is correct and maybe I can fill in some more info for you.

L&A Fisher was purchased from the Fisher Family by a gentleman called Peter Bobarth, he was a well spoken man who liked to smoke large Havana cigars, drove a bug eyed Citroen and was quite a character, after the purchase the factory in Walton on Thames was closed and the full operation moved to the factory in Bagshot Surrey UK, there was approximately 12 staff who all multitasked  within the company, my first job was to assemble the van, this evolved building the floor on the chassis then putting on the sides ends and roof, the van would be almost complete with  all electrical wiring and gas plumbing done , the van body was then passed onto the guys who would put the aluminium sheeting on,then  the van would then be returned to me to fit out all the interior, bunks, table sink units etc. there were different models both for the UK and Europe, the export vans were almost identical but would have the door on the right side with interior reversed, we produced a range from 9ft to 15 ft as standard and bigger vans to order. The walls are made from ply on 1 inch timber which was insulated by polystyrene between the batons. The quilted pattern on the sides was created by putting a plane sheet through a folder at 45 deg to crease the sheet then passed through the  again in the opposite direction creating the quilt effect.
One funny event was when our Workshop foreman wired up a van due to me being sick  that day, we later found the van to have strange  electrical  wiring issues, This was due to the fact that the foreman was colour blind which was why we had the issues, unfortunately being the apprentice I got the blame for this so from then on (Jan 1977) I signed my initials or signature beside the electrical wiring box under the floor,  To make sure I didn't get blamed again.
there was  as far as can remember issues with another caravan company, which was set up by fishers accountant and the foreman, this did not go down well the fishers owner Mr Bobarth as they basically set up and  copied the  Holivans which caused L&A Fisher to finally close due to loss of business. I learnt a lot from the guys there,  and working for Fishers really set me up for life later on. The vans were a quality unit,  well finished, with there  small and well appointed interiors.

i hope you find this information of some use, I can also help out with any questions regarding the build etc
kindest regards
Peter
Gisborne Victoria

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Sully,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for telling us about your time at L & A Fisher. It is interesting to read about the processes used to build vans in the vintage era, and fascinating to hear how you created the quilted look. Who would have thought?

Did you stay in the caravan building business after leaving Fisher's?

Don Ricardo

[sully]

Hi don,
when I left fishers I apprenticed as a bike mechanic and kept in that industry for many years, I then got,into engineering and worked my way up through various companies. I always enjoyed my years with the guys at fishers,  and kept in contact with a couple of the guys for some years after, as they worked in a caravan repair shop near my work  so managed to catch up quite regularly.

i have thought about building another van for myself as I have some vintage cars, I have seen the teardrops but think them a bit on the small side so my build a micro van for my old rover to tow.
im glad you enjoyed the info, I also enjoyed the stories etc.

kindest regards
peter sullivan

[shazbaz]

Jun 3, 2017 23:08:25 GMT 10 sully said:

Hi there,
i have been reading your replies for the request for information which has been very interesting, hopefully  I will be able to supply more info for you.
I  worked for L & A Fisher  in Bagshot Surrey in the UK after leaving school in early 1976, I worked there for 4 years until the company closed. The history you have received so far is correct and maybe I can fill in some more info for you.

L&A Fisher was purchased from the Fisher Family by a gentleman called Peter Bobarth, he was a well spoken man who liked to smoke large Havana cigars, drove a bug eyed Citroen and was quite a character, after the purchase the factory in Walton on Thames was closed and the full operation moved to the factory in Bagshot Surrey UK, there was approximately 12 staff who all multitasked  within the company, my first job was to assemble the van, this evolved building the floor on the chassis then putting on the sides ends and roof, the van would be almost complete with  all electrical wiring and gas plumbing done , the van body was then passed onto the guys who would put the aluminium sheeting on,then  the van would then be returned to me to fit out all the interior, bunks, table sink units etc. there were different models both for the UK and Europe, the export vans were almost identical but would have the door on the right side with interior reversed, we produced a range from 9ft to 15 ft as standard and bigger vans to order. The walls are made from ply on 1 inch timber which was insulated by polystyrene between the batons. The quilted pattern on the sides was created by putting a plane sheet through a folder at 45 deg to crease the sheet then passed through the  again in the opposite direction creating the quilt effect.
One funny event was when our Workshop foreman wired up a van due to me being sick  that day, we later found the van to have strange  electrical  wiring issues, This was due to the fact that the foreman was colour blind which was why we had the issues, unfortunately being the apprentice I got the blame for this so from then on (Jan 1977) I signed my initials or signature beside the electrical wiring box under the floor,  To make sure I didn't get blamed again.
there was  as far as can remember issues with another caravan company, which was set up by fishers accountant and the foreman, this did not go down well the fishers owner Mr Bobarth as they basically set up and  copied the  Holivans which caused L&A Fisher to finally close due to loss of business. I learnt a lot from the guys there,  and working for Fishers really set me up for life later on. The vans were a quality unit,  well finished, with there  small and well appointed interiors.

i hope you find this information of some use, I can also help out with any questions regarding the build etc
kindest regards
Peter
Gisborne Victoria

Hi, I'm in UK, was just searching for Fisher info on-line and found this forum.  This is my little lady, purchased a couple of months ago.  Was done up vintage style until I found the damp patch!!!   Sully sounds like an interesting time.   Mine in a Slim trekker = and shes tiny.  

[norman]

May 8, 2016 18:21:30 GMT 10 nandan said:

Jan 19, 2016 0:38:21 GMT 10 martf said:

Hi klaksmk1, i have only just seen your post after quite a few years, so i should ask what info do you require?, although i don't know as much as i should, being as
L.& A. Fisher Caravans was started by my father Leslie and his brother Alex in the 1950's in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, U.K.
They started by doing caravan repairs in the early 50's, and then built one in our back garden in Kings rd. Kingston, although it may have been our grandmothers,,,,,not too sure,,,but a large tree fell on it and they had to repair that.
An old workshop building was rented next door to the old film studio in Walton where they started producing the first Holivan 8'series,  and just a few beautifully curvaceous longer 18'-22' 'vans, later built in larger numbers and lengths in the new premises in Annett road, Walton, which Leslie Fisher managed, and in the Bagshot, Surrey, factory, which Alex Fisher managed.
My brother and i both worked at the Annett rd. factory starting at a very young age during school holidays, and later permanently during the 1960's building mostly Holivans and the occasional 28',30'and 32'. There were also small fibreglass bodied models for a short while that were not very successful.
All Fisher Caravans were hand made by craftsmen in the two factories  except the chassis for the Holivans in later years were from an outside supplier.

I saw that Don Ricardo has made an excellent reply to your request , but i would be happy and proud to share any info i have knowledge of.
Also very proud to know that there are surviving Holivans, especially there in Australia.
Kind regards, Martin.

Hello,

I would like some info too! How to maintain it and how to renovate it. I live in the Netherlands and I have recently baught a Fisher Holyvan '10 type 310, who has been stalled in a farm for the last 40 years. There is a gas furnace in it and the people from the garage where it is now say it will be very expensive to make it work again. Is that so? Can I find the manufacturing guides of the van? Can I buy spare parts somewhere? Are there instruction manuals? I'd also like to have some more general info about my Fisher: weight, materials etc.

Thanx in advance and kind regards,

Nanette Danckaarts

(p.s. I have already tried English forums but they just give me the address of the Holyvan Club, no email or phone...So that doesn't work for me...)

[norman]

Aug 16, 2011 12:33:22 GMT 10 klaksmk1 said:

loads of potential  Hi , My name is Norman Styles. I worked at the Bagshot works for many years in the 60/70 . We were all skilled in every aspect of these hand built caravans. I was with the company for 6 years at which point I left to become a carpenter/ joiner and bespoke furniture maker. Overall my time at Fishers was an invaluable lead into my future business career. I still work with my trade at the age of 76. If anyone needs any information re: Fisher caravans I would be pleased to help .
Kind Regards Norman Styles  email: [e-mail]