Meet the world's oldest caravan - a mere 128 years old

Of course, we'd like to think that we do a nice line in used touring caravans West Yorkshire here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk), but even the oldest caravans in our range aren't quite as antiquated as one model that has recently taken pride of place at the Broadway site of the Caravan Club. That's because this particular caravan is the oldest in the world, having been made way back in 1884.

Measuring some 30 feet in length and weighing two tonnes, The Wanderer has covered tens of thousands of miles over its lifetime, since it was built by Bristol Wagon Works Company for budding 'Gentleman Gypsy', former naval officer Dr William Gordon Stables. Take a look inside, and it's clear that while the specification may differ somewhat from our own, much more recently manufactured caravans for sale in West Yorkshire, Dr Stables clearly intended to travel in style and comfort. A bookcase, china cabinet and even musical instruments all feature in its jaw-dropping interior.

In the days before the car as we now know it was even invented, let alone a common sight on the world's roads, The Wanderer was pulled by the original form of horsepower - two horses, of course, named Captain Corn-flower and Polly Pea-blossom. Decked out with black and gold paint and made from mahogany and maple wood, the influence of traditional horse-drawn Romany wagons is clear, as is the astonishing craftsmanship inside and out. Described variously as a "land yacht" and "shed on wheels", The Wanderer has a place in history as the first ever custom-built for leisure caravan, the forerunner to today's used caravans West Yorkshire.

Use of the Edwardian holiday home having ceased in 1960, it was later restored in readiness for the Caravan Club's 2007 centenary. The Wanderer was previously stored at the Motor Museum, with owner Gwilym Owen explaining that "It's had a little bit of modernisation over the years, such as new wheels and axle from a 1930s Austin and a more modern hitch, but everything else is basically the same as it was when constructed." Likening it to a garden shed on wheels, he added: "I can imagine it was very cosy in its day, especially if you tried to fit more than one person inside it."

As for The Wanderer's the future, that will now be at the Caravan Club's Cotswolds site, where its stunningly crafted exterior and all original upholstery is sure to win the admiration of a whole new generation of admirers, from historians to Caravan Club members. We're certainly among those admirers here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk), but alas, this one is certainly not for sale. But that's not to suggest that there aren't plenty of great caravans for sale in West Yorkshire, as anyone who has perused our current range - including used models by such popular brands as Abbey, Ace, Elddis, Sprite and Swift - can testify!  

Editor’s Note: Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Londonderry toasts the City of Culture 2013 with a little help from a caravan!

We suspect that more than a few of the past customers of our caravans for sale West Yorkshire will have taken their new purchase to various parts of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and why not? After all, this part of the world offers no shortage of wonderful caravan parks and attractions. However, art lovers among our customers here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk) have been given one more great reason to go, in the form of a fascinating art installation.

Here at Albion Caravans, we're massive fans of Elddis caravans. The brand has a history dating back to 1964, and in all of that time, it's been at the forefront of so many great caravan design innovations - including its development of the industry-leading SoLiD structural bonding system. However, none of our present caravans for sale in West Yorkshire look quite like what the Japanese artist and Londonderry resident Shiro Masuyama has created as part of the 2013 City of Culture programme.

2013 sees the visit of the Turner Prize Exhibition to Londonderry, but even visitors to the show of the often controversial art prize probably weren't expecting to be greeted by an Elddis caravan with its interior converted into two parts - one half British, and the other Irish in character. The installation features the symmetrical display of many distinctly British and Irish items, with a hybrid of British and Irish objects in a third section.

Called the Borderline Project, we imagine that amid all of this installation's Victorian paraphernalia, vintage crockery and more modern Gaelic wall plaques bidding a warm welcome, some visitors might just get a sense of the spaciousness and homeliness of these caravans! It's something that we certainly emphasise to the customers of our used touring caravans West Yorkshire. If you're in the Londonderry area at any point soon, you'll be pleased to hear that following its initial dates of Wednesday 23rd to Friday 25th October, the installation will be back at the Ebrington venue every Saturday and Sunday from Saturday 26th October until Sunday 15th December, as well as on Monday 2nd December.

What will it be doing over the next few months when it isn't at Ebrington? Why, it'll be doing what cheap used caravans do, of course... travelling, namely around various border locations. As Shiro himself explained: "When the caravan is placed on some borderline points between Derry-Londonderry (Northern Ireland) and Donegal (Republic of Ireland) I hope to develop the project by talking to people on both sides of the border and adding objects and or correcting the display to the right direction."

Alas, those goodies don't come as standard with an Elddis caravan. But they might just give you some ideas for what you could put in your own, when you next buy from our extensive selection of second hand caravans West Yorkshire right here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk)!

Editor’s Note: Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Meet the world's oldest caravan - a mere 128 years old

Of course, we'd like to think that we do a nice line in used touring caravans West Yorkshire here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk), but even the oldest caravans in our range aren't quite as antiquated as one model that has recently taken pride of place at the Broadway site of the Caravan Club. That's because this particular caravan is the oldest in the world, having been made way back in 1884.

Measuring some 30 feet in length and weighing two tonnes, The Wanderer has covered tens of thousands of miles over its lifetime, since it was built by Bristol Wagon Works Company for budding 'Gentleman Gypsy', former naval officer Dr William Gordon Stables. Take a look inside, and it's clear that while the specification may differ somewhat from our own, much more recently manufactured caravans for sale in West Yorkshire, Dr Stables clearly intended to travel in style and comfort. A bookcase, china cabinet and even musical instruments all feature in its jaw-dropping interior.

In the days before the car as we now know it was even invented, let alone a common sight on the world's roads, The Wanderer was pulled by the original form of horsepower - two horses, of course, named Captain Corn-flower and Polly Pea-blossom. Decked out with black and gold paint and made from mahogany and maple wood, the influence of traditional horse-drawn Romany wagons is clear, as is the astonishing craftsmanship inside and out. Described variously as a "land yacht" and "shed on wheels", The Wanderer has a place in history as the first ever custom-built for leisure caravan, the forerunner to today's used caravans West Yorkshire.

Use of the Edwardian holiday home having ceased in 1960, it was later restored in readiness for the Caravan Club's 2007 centenary. The Wanderer was previously stored at the Motor Museum, with owner Gwilym Owen explaining that "It's had a little bit of modernisation over the years, such as new wheels and axle from a 1930s Austin and a more modern hitch, but everything else is basically the same as it was when constructed." Likening it to a garden shed on wheels, he added: "I can imagine it was very cosy in its day, especially if you tried to fit more than one person inside it."

As for The Wanderer's the future, that will now be at the Caravan Club's Cotswolds site, where its stunningly crafted exterior and all original upholstery is sure to win the admiration of a whole new generation of admirers, from historians to Caravan Club members. We're certainly among those admirers here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk), but alas, this one is certainly not for sale. But that's not to suggest that there aren't plenty of great caravans for sale in West Yorkshire, as anyone who has perused our current range - including used models by such popular brands as Abbey, Ace, Elddis, Sprite and Swift - can testify!  

Editor’s Note: Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Meet the world's oldest caravan - a mere 128 years old

Of course, we'd like to think that we do a nice line in used touring caravans West Yorkshire here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk), but even the oldest caravans in our range aren't quite as antiquated as one model that has recently taken pride of place at the Broadway site of the Caravan Club. That's because this particular caravan is the oldest in the world, having been made way back in 1884.

Measuring some 30 feet in length and weighing two tonnes, The Wanderer has covered tens of thousands of miles over its lifetime, since it was built by Bristol Wagon Works Company for budding 'Gentleman Gypsy', former naval officer Dr William Gordon Stables. Take a look inside, and it's clear that while the specification may differ somewhat from our own, much more recently manufactured caravans for sale in West Yorkshire, Dr Stables clearly intended to travel in style and comfort. A bookcase, china cabinet and even musical instruments all feature in its jaw-dropping interior.

In the days before the car as we now know it was even invented, let alone a common sight on the world's roads, The Wanderer was pulled by the original form of horsepower - two horses, of course, named Captain Corn-flower and Polly Pea-blossom. Decked out with black and gold paint and made from mahogany and maple wood, the influence of traditional horse-drawn Romany wagons is clear, as is the astonishing craftsmanship inside and out. Described variously as a "land yacht" and "shed on wheels", The Wanderer has a place in history as the first ever custom-built for leisure caravan, the forerunner to today's used caravans West Yorkshire.

Use of the Edwardian holiday home having ceased in 1960, it was later restored in readiness for the Caravan Club's 2007 centenary. The Wanderer was previously stored at the Motor Museum, with owner Gwilym Owen explaining that "It's had a little bit of modernisation over the years, such as new wheels and axle from a 1930s Austin and a more modern hitch, but everything else is basically the same as it was when constructed." Likening it to a garden shed on wheels, he added: "I can imagine it was very cosy in its day, especially if you tried to fit more than one person inside it."

As for The Wanderer's the future, that will now be at the Caravan Club's Cotswolds site, where its stunningly crafted exterior and all original upholstery is sure to win the admiration of a whole new generation of admirers, from historians to Caravan Club members. We're certainly among those admirers here at Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk), but alas, this one is certainly not for sale. But that's not to suggest that there aren't plenty of great caravans for sale in West Yorkshire, as anyone who has perused our current range - including used models by such popular brands as Abbey, Ace, Elddis, Sprite and Swift - can testify!  

Editor’s Note: Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Roll up, roll up... it's time for the UK's biggest caravan show

Regular readers of the Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk) news page will know that we're certainly not above pointing prospective or past purchasers of our cheap used caravans West Yorkshire in the direction of shows and events that may be of interest to them. For today's piece, we're casting our eye towards the Motorhome & Caravan Show, nothing less than the biggest motorhome and caravan show in the UK. It takes place at Birmingham's NEC from 15th to 20th October 2013.

With visitor numbers to last year's Show tantalisingly close to the 100,000 mark, excluding press and exhibitors, tens of thousands of fans and owners of cheap used caravans are expected to make the trip once more to the UK's second city. As for what they'll see when they arrive, as you'd expect, there will be a host of caravans on display from the new 2014 model ranges of the major UK and European manufacturers and dealers. Exhibitors in the caravan category will include many big name manufacturers represented here at Albion Caravans, from Bailey and Elddis to Sprite and Swift.

Believe it or not, though, there's so much more to the 2013 Motorhome & Caravan Show than caravans, motorhomes, holiday homes, trailer tents and folding caravans. That's because there will also be various free activities and attractions to enliven your time at the event, including a free one to one towing experience courtesy of The Camping and Caravanning Club and the show's official Tow Car partner Hyundai. It's the perfect opportunity to learn how to safely tow a touring caravan, assisted by specially trained expert tutors. Why not book your place in advance, so that you can get some practice in before perusing our used caravans for sale West Yorkshire?

For those who have already bought one of our used touring caravans West Yorkshire, there will be a temporary campsite at the event, with more than 400 pitches being available each day. Tuesday 15th October, meanwhile, is Caravan Club day. It's when you'll be able to head to the Club's stand in Hall 20, where folk/soul singers sister duo Daughters of Davis will be present to entertain members and show visitors and tell their story. Or maybe you're contemplating taking your caravan well beyond British shores, to a destination like the Canadian Rockies or New Zealand? If so, the expert presentations on international travel given by The Camping and Caravanning Club will be another must-see.

Nor, of course, is any major show like this one quite complete without a bit of celebrity presence - on this occasion, provided by TV chef, author and restaurateur Ed Baines, who'll be giving visitors to the Show's new Expert Advice and Cookery Theatre great ideas for 'on the move' alfresco meals. It's just one more reason to purchase your advance ticket - with prices starting at £7 - for the Show, as you consider purchasing a second hand caravan for sale West Yorkshire from Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk).

Editor’s Note: Albion Caravans (http://www.albioncaravans.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.