Nutshell Caravan.

Made in the 1950’s and 1960’s in Dundee. Our particular one was used to advertise the company and is sign written:

Wm. R. Stewart & Sons
£98 – under 2cwt
Dens Rd. Dundee
Phone 25713.

They are designed to be towed flat but I chose to make it so that it could be towed “in all it’s glory”!

I also made an awning that makes it quite cosy when sitting in it as well as providing space for a clip-on table that has a built in sink (with 6v cold water tap), drawer for cutlery, plate drying rack and space for a cooker.

Inside the caravan there is a shelf at one end about a foot above the bed, that has a very small 5 ½” screen, 6v, black and white television. This is also able to accommodate a small bed for our two-year-old daughter. The bed itself is 6’ 5” long and about 5’wide at widest point, made of caravan cushions. The base is able to lifted and below is about a foot of space to store the awning, table, chairs and clothes etc. It is very cosy and we have used in a lot over the years. Two big tours, in 2005 we took it down to the 100th Austin event, taking in Yorkshire Dales and Derbyshire Dales, this was a real test for the pulling power of the Pearl and it’s Brakes. We also did a big tours of Scotland in 2007, pictures of these and other trips are shown below.

Glen Etive...



View the next morning...



Corrin Ferry...



With Peter Naulls' Nutshell and Ulster - Nethy Bridge - Nutshell World Jamboree Meet...



Yorkshire Dales...



Lake District...

I want one !

Location: sussex

Ru , I will call you. Mac

Location: sussex

Mad as a box of frogs!

Ruairidh,

You no doubt subscribe to -

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/forum/phpbb/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=26&sid=a0938f771c8452c3360a65bd8d60b19b

How did the lacy body on the Cabby cope with the load or is this why you are doing a major reconstruction?

I normally don't like caravans but yours looks so neat I could be convinced.

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

many thanks Ruairidh, great photo's I was surprised to know that it was a proprietry made and collapsable. I didn't see a door? With such a light weight it could do with another sign 'If the van's a rockin don't come a knockin' cheers Russell

Location: queensland

Squeak,

On the Drivers side there is a lift up panel- which must be the 'door'. R's has a window opposite but the other Van has the window in the door.
How on earth do they fold?

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Tony/Squeak,

to collapse the ends push in slighty, the roof lifts off, fold the ends in and then the sides fold on top, then the roof goes on top and clips down.

Door can be on either side depending how you assembly it.

See:



Not my own but similar.

It looks like a Bond 3 wheeler, now that is 'pulling' it... (Ok a play on pushing it!)
I wonder if it has the kick start under the bonnet?

Location: Near Lands End

Its great to see the photos--Im trying and failing to upload a photo myself and have tried copy/paste etc from a macbook.--any tips to help me achieve the upload--thanks
John

Location: doncaster

Oh dear, another uploading pictures problem, forget the FAQ (or even QFA!) page.
- This message may disappear soon based on my previous experiences here when I mention that topic!!!
Perhaps we could have a locked sticky for this information on the Forum..

Meanwhile John, have you looked at, say, this page, mainly the Mike Whittome contribution/description.
.
.
.

PS - In photobucket the IMG is in Capitals, if your copying that to your page here it needs changing to lower case -

Thus Photobucket's is all you get,

by changing the IMG to lower case img brings you this :-

Location: Near Lands End

Thanks for the help Sandy
regards---John

This one from a June 1930 Light Car & Cyclecar looks a bit of a handful.

Location: Hertfordshire

I'm not thinking of taking up Austin Seven caravaning but does anyone have details of how the towbar was fitted to an early Chummy as in the illustration in Bryans post?

Location: Near Jtn 28 On M1

I cant answer that one directly Brian but...

If I were going to attach a towbar to a chummy I would look at bolting it to the back axle via say 4 or 6 of the bolts holding the side tubes to the banjo. That way there would be little visible at the back of the car when not towing and the trailer loads would not be anywhere near the body, floor pan or chassis extensions.

Regards

Rob

Location: The 3D shed,Tewkesbury

Brian,

as fitted to my father's 29 Tourer...







and another A7 Caravan...

Crikey! Who on earth would tow a caravan with a Vale Special?

Location: Near Bicester

Where did the dog sleep? No mention of a dog shelf in the blurb.
Dave.

Location: Sheffield

Probably in the gramaphone horn,like our cat Philby used to in Gus Gander's susaphone.

Location: Frampton Cotterell

Thanks Ruairidh, easy when you know how.
Was the hitch a ball or something else?
Presumably the 'van was not braked.

Location: Near Jtn 28 On M1

I have standard balls.

Maybe not, when coming from a father of twins? With all this talk of caravans and the claim that the Raven was the only one that could be towed by an Austin Seven, I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the brilliant Rice folding caravans. These also were built to tow behind small cars such as a Seven. I know Mike Pilgrim and others have them, but sadly I'm too dumb to upload photos here. In what era was the Raven produced? Cheers, Bill in Oz

Location: Mount Eliza, Melbourne, Australia

See A7CA Magazine 2007B, centre page spread, for a nice period shot of the Rice Caravan and SWB saloon. I have a copy somewhere, also of one found recently, will post when found.

I think this is the photo that Ruairidh is reffering to.

Here is the Rice caravan in action.




Bryan

Location: Hertfordshire

Email  

Mar 11th, 2011 - 10:07 AM

That's the one.

Can we have an inside view?

Bill has just given me this photograph of a 1926 Chummy pulling a Rice 'folding' Caraven. We also have an inside view of the Rice but I suspect you want a view of R's Caravan.



Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Tony,
what a fantastic picture of family enjoyment!!!(more please)

Jon,

Isn't it just- quite one of the best. It is from the Rice brochure and the only picture with this great feeling.

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

How much do they weigh??

Loving the picture also.

No inside shots of my caravan available until the weather gets better, currently snowing!

Back in the 1970's Dave Doyle of Falmouth had a Rice folding caravan and attempted to tow it from Lands end to John O'Groats with a Cornwall Vintage Vehicle Society group. My impression was that it was bigger than the ones pictured and was a 1932 model. Did they make models of varying sizes ?
Dave could tow his quite easily with his Heavy 12/4. However,he was determined to use his Big Seven and started the jaunt with that. Unfortunately by the time he had reached Plymouth, the clutch on the Big Seven was slipping furiously and he was forced to leave the caravan there, and spread the resulting contents with the other partipants on the trip and carried on in the Big Seven with his wife and son. I believe this occurred in 1975 when the CVVS was just 10 years old. The Society is still thriving today but with less pre-war cars unfortunately. !
Regards
Brian

Location: Cornwall, Far enough away from Sandy !

Snowing?

Location: 1200 miles south of Toronto

yes we get it this side of the pond as well

Brian,

They show three sizes- the smallest for the Austin 7, a slightly larger model and a quite big version. All basically similar but each size longer.
This picture from Bill's brochure showing the inside is surely of the largest!



The brochure lists the size details.

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Fab!

The roominess of the large version shown is reminiscent of the Doyle's example. If they had the large version, no wonder the Big Seven struggled ! I always remember that even moving it by hand was hard work! I helped once or twice!
Regards,
Brian

Location: Cornwall, Far enough away from Sandy !

Oh, Brian, how could you......

Location: Near Lands End - the other side of Cornwall

Ruairidh - Re the weight, the (7hp) "Standard" model which was two-berth , weighed 4 1/2cwt. They even showed it being towed by a motorbike and sidecar. Re the snow - I received an email telling me that it had been snowing steadily for three days in the North East, the sender claiming that for the whole time his wife just stared through the window. He says if it snows any more he may have to let her in. Cheers, Bill in Oz

Location: Mount Eliza, Melbourne, Australia

Very good article about the Dunford family in the April edition of Camping magazine. Page 10. The editor has the usual difficulty with spelling Gaelic names.

If you look at Ruairidh's pictures at the start of this discussion- the Van has 2cwt marked on the back panel, surely in stripped form.
The shot in the Lakes shows the Cabby with not much clearance in the wheel arches - full load of luggage plus the van - take the bumps carefully!

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Tony,

old knackered springs (drove like that with caravan off as well), new ones now fitted, jobs a good-un!

Have a look at Berkeley caravans which were (I think) designed to be towed behind a motorcycle combination. Ken Warren had one which he would tow behind his 1931 Jowett Kestrel. He did (rarely) tow it behind the RN saloon. The caravan was 6'4" long, 4'6" high and 4' wide and was on a very light double swing arm axle with Lambretta wheels I believe. The side door on the near side was 3' wide allowing easy access to a cosy 4' double with a small shelf at the front end. Ken's towbar was an angle iron triangular affair which was attached to the torque tube at the front and to the rear axle side tubes using the large exhaust 'u' bolts we use.(The torque anchorage was to try to prevent strain on the axle side tubes!) From there backwards there was more iron ending up with a towing eye which could accomodate a ball if needed. The towbar was permanently on the car as Ken towed a very light trailer quite often.

Ruairidh,

You won't know yourself with this posh new car- have to earn to drive it again - it should handle quite differently with proper spring settings

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

I wrote-

have to earn to drive it again

I meant-

have to learn to drive it again

although I don't know- with all the extensive work, lovely though it may be, the costs will be pretty good

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Hi Tony,

the springs were fitted three or four years ago, ride is quite different but car is no longer able to corner at 60, which was easily achievable on the previously knackered "low-slung" version!

Steve,

I remember Ken's caravan coming to an early Spye Park, is it still about?

Ken gave me the RN and he gave the Jowett Kestrel and the Berkeley caravan to his friend Ted Cockerell in Bristol who had the only other known '31 Jowett Kestrel. BUT, I still have the keys for the caravan!! (PS his other mate was an XK120 enthusiast who was called Ted Chick. (Chick & Cockerell got on quite well!!)

Nostagia corner for me too. I was brought up with Jowetts and met Ken and Ted quite frequently as a child. I remember being very impressed with the Berkley caravan, when I was aged about 6. It must have been a long slow trip to the Cumbria Steam Gathering which he regularly attended.

John

Raymond Way of Kilburn is offering 'New 2-berth caravans (for 7 H.P. cars) absolutely complete from as little as 59 guineas.'
August 19th 1939, Practical Motorist.

Location: Kent

Before I make a definite decision to buy,can anyone tell me how much the I.O W. ferry fare would be?

Location: Frampton Cotterell

Dear Ian, according to the brochure reprinted under the 'Off to the Isle of Wight' post, you can get a Super Saver Day Return for a mere £8,105.50!

Location: Kent