Winchester Caravan

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Bertram Hutchings was in at the dawn of the recreational caravan. Getting his taste for the open road on his honeymoon in 1911, he was frustrated at the complication and difficulty in managing the hired 18ft leviathan which required two strong horses to pull it along.

As soon as he got home, he set about building a lighter, 14ft version that could be pulled by just one horse. A fleet of 15 such caravans, available for hire, emerged from his workshops, his ability to make one element of his design perform a multitude of functions attracting a series of patents.

An order in 1915 by the Navy for a ‘Motorvan’ prompted him to move in that direction and by 1920, the first Winchester was on the drawing board. Initially though, it was the Voyageur model that made his name in the rapidly expanding industry. Beautifully made, yet relatively light, it was a cross between a Romany Caravan and a country cottage, featuring lead-light windows and a raised ‘Mollicroft’ skylight.

The first Winchester arrived in 1930 bristling with new ideas. Low-set thanks to its ingenious independent suspension which allowed a dropped floor for maximum headroom, it was aerodynamically styled and futuristic in shape, yet retained all of the familiar luxuries of home. Light enough to be pulled by a 12hp car, it was extremely popular, Hutchings marketing the Winchester as ‘The Rolls-Royce of Caravans’.

This stunning 1934 example was purchased by the vendor around five years ago, shortly after it had been fully restored. The previous owner had unearthed it from 20 years of dry storage in an Oxfordshire barn and undertaken a detailed refurbishment which retained its wonderful original fittings, including the correct tear-drop interior handles, adding such modern conveniences as a discreet electrical hook-up and re-plumbing of the gas cooker, heater and lighting. The sink unit appears to be correct, along with the cupboards, drawers and table, the wardrobe door doubling as a complete divider (in true Hutchings tradition), splitting the van into two bedrooms, one with twin beds and the other with a comfy double.

The upholstery has been retrimmed in appropriate material with new curtains and it is ready for the show scene. Used by the vendor at numerous vintage shows over the last few years, including the Much Marcle Steam Rally and events at the Severn Valley Railway and Black Country Museum, his attention has now been drawn by a canal barge hence this delightful Winchester is being offered for sale.

Bidders are advised that it is still fitted with its original 2” tow-hitch and so will require an Imperial tow-ball to safely remove this wonderful period piece from our site.