Romany Caravans

Large showman's wagon by Henry Jones of Hereford circa 1900-24.

Although needing extensive repair, this is simply a stunning Showman's wagon designed for comfortable living on the road. It features a panelled bedroom, 6ft by 7ft, opening via a sliding door onto the main salon, with a stove and fireplace, chest of drawers, desk and Chesterfield sofa. A large copper flue at the sofa end is presumably meant for a large over head oil lamp (absent), all panelled as well.

It has sagged 2ins on the left hand side, this is most obvious at the "step" up to the bedroom. The "sag" extends up to the roofline and appears mostly due to the outer most runner on the underside being rotten in this area. The others appear sound, the step up to the bedroom is a common area for this design of wagon to sag on account of the long spacing between wheel axles.

There are other areas with problems, the door, for example, won't close properly and has a broken window, and one window on the Mollycroft roof has gone. At the moment it appears to be mostly watertight, but obviously urgent restoration is needed.

The wheels need some attention, three of them rather urgently, but they would probably be sufficient to load and unload onto a trailer or vehicle. We would advise fitting supporting tressles underneath in transit to take some stress off the wheels. They are all 30" diameter, 10 spoke with iron tyres.

Showman's wagons of this size and weight are quite rare. It would have been too heavy for everyday pulling by horses and was probably meant to be towed by a steam tractor or motor car. This is a unique opportunity to acquire something that can be comfortably lived in, a stunning attraction or even a bit of unique Showman's history.

Negotiable

Measurements

Height 8ft 10.5ins plus mollycroft roof.

Width 7ft

Length 20ft 3ins