The Threshing Gang Caravan
A Brief History
We believe our caravan was built by Taskers of Andover, Wiltshire, using Marshalls Sons & Co of Gainsborough (Lincolnshire) wheels. These vans were called ‘Living Vans’ and were usually moved about the country by steam traction engine.
Whilst we don’t have a full history of our caravan, we believe it is at least 100 years old. We know that in the years between the First and Second World Wars, it was used in southern England in Wiltshire as a caravan for the ‘threshing gangs’ who travelled the agricultural areas working on the summer harvests. In those days the caravan body would have been painted in the classic light green with red chassis and wheels. Our caravan still has indications of the red colour on both the chassis and wheels and we believe the chassis hasn’t been painted since it was built.
Recent Years
In the 90s we acquired the caravan from a couple who had come across it on a farm in Silverdale, Lancashire. From the age of 6 and 4 respectively, my brother and I slept in the caravan on the straw mattresses on the bunk beds on and off in the summer and only stopping when we got a little bit too tall in our later teenage years!
Sadly, in December 2021, we had a few days of very bad weather which brought down a 60ft Scots Pine tree. The caravan was at the bottom of this tree and took a huge blow to the side which knocked the body out of shape and damaged it to the point where it needed serious intervention and, ever since, it has sat with a huge tarpaulin cover waiting for attention. Only now have we been in a position to restore it and so it was lifted from its home of 40 years and moved to our house in North Lancashire.
The Future
Restoring the caravan to its former glory and safeguarding it for the future and its next 100 years is the main aim for us. There is a lot to do to correct the damage done by the tree but also to replace elements that are due just through old age. We want to leave as much of the original structure as possible and, with initial inspection, it looks likely that we can. They were very well built!
The caravan will eventually have a new role in our lives as a print room and occasional shop for The Badger Sett Studio where I hope I may be able to welcome visitors in due course!
We will be documenting the renovation and posting updates on the website and on The Badger Sett Studio social media accounts as we know that there is a lot of interest in these vans and their histories.
Watch this space…