History of Touring Caravans

The origins of the caravan goes back a long way! The earliest records of caravanning can be traced back to traveling Romans, who were known as ‘Gypsies’, and also showmen who spent most of their lives in horse drawn caravans or ‘trailers’. The first leisure caravan was built by the Bristol Carriage Company in 1880 for Dr. W. Gordon-Stables in England, UK. The caravan was 18 ft. long, based upon their Bible Wagons, which the Doctor named “Wanderer”.

The Wanderer Caravan

Historic Facts
•    The First Caravan built purely for leisure was the ‘wanderer’ built in 1885 for Dr Gordon-Stables by Bristol Carriage    Company. It still exists and is owned by The Caravan Club.
•    The word caravan comes from the Persian (karwan). It is the origin of the word ‘van’.
•    The first time a caravan was towed by a car instead of a horse was in 1919 – the caravan in question was an Eccles.

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