The Cheltenham Owners Club

The Cheltenham Owners Club

A Members History

The Unique Caravan Owners Club

May 2010

CONTENTS

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….3

How it all began, The Cheltenham Caravan Company..……….4

Formation of the Cheltenham Owners Club in 1950 ……….8

The early days…………………………………………………… ……………..….. 10

Owners Club events and notes 1975 onward…………… ……...16

The Rallies…………………………………………………………………………………28.

The Winter Luncheons……………..…………………………………………….29

The Meets………………………………………………………………………… …….30

Cameos from John Bradley……………………………………………………30

Appendices

1.Past Chairmen……………………………………………………………………….32

2.The Club Subscription through the years………………………32

3.Winter Luncheon Venues……………………………………………………33

4.Cheltenham Weekend sites through the years…………….34.

5.Rallies of the North and volunteer Hosts………………………35

6. The Scottish Meets……………………………………………………………37

7. The Midland Meets………………………………………………………….…37

8 Service to members, an Unofficial Roll of Honour…...…38

INTRODUCTION…

This booklet has been prepared as an aid to celebrating the developments, events and friendships made during the 60 years that have passed since the formation of the club in 1950.

These notes have been prepared using text and comment taken from postings on the club website, and from articles published in early Cheltenham Owners Club Newsletters. Much of the text was originally compiled by two past Chairmen, the late John Jones (1993-95) and by Rupert Pilkington (1983-85), and was published in the 2000 and 2006 Newsletters. We have added to that by re-examining both the early and more recent Newsletters for further points of interest.

Looking back through the Newsletters , it is surprising how many members in the 1960’ and 70’s towed their caravans far and wide, all over the Continent, from Scandinavia to Portugal, from France to Russia, and to all countries in between! Many regularly attending the FICC International Rallies, wherever they were!! Clearly the club members in those days were able to find both the funds, and the time, to be away from the UK for weeks or months at a time, no matter how young or old they were!. One brave couple, on retirement, took their Cheltenham to the United States, and toured for a year!

With the current economic crisis and high fuel costs, and the youngest of our vans now 30 years old, the days of very high towing mileages may be behind us. However we must hope that club members will continue to take their lovely old Cheltenham caravans far and wide, and will enjoy their unique character while on holiday in future years.

We hope you find the contents interesting and informative.

John Bradley and Richard Wheeler, May 2010

How it all began…The Cheltenham Caravan Company

Firstly we need to be aware that for some 30 years before the Cheltenham Owners club was born, (in 1950), the Cheltenham Caravan Company was busy designing and building caravans.

The visionary…

The first caravan to be built by Mr Arthur Gardner has been variously reported in the COC Newsletters as either in 1919, or in 1920, but the earlier date seems more likely. Both reports state that it was converted from an army ambulance of World War 1 vintage. Arthur and his wife Joyce are reported to have spent their honeymoon in the home made “motor home” caravan! It is reported that the vehicle had a number of shortcomings, which included a petrol tank high up in the caravan part, as the engine was gravity fed, and even a fairly gentle slope had to be taken in reverse…the van also included a coal fired range for cooking, no ideal with petrol about..! . The caravan had to be packed up just to go shopping for a loaf of bread…; So Arthur felt that if there was to be a future in caravanning, it most surely lay in trailer caravans.

Convinced of this he set about building a trailer caravan from scratch, including the chassis! in a shed in Maida vale, Cheltenham. This was the beginning of what, through the pursuit of an ambition to produce the ideal touring caravan, ultimately led to the Cheltenham caravan models bearing antelope names that form our owners club models today.

These familiar antelope model names were first introduced for the 1938 production year. For the first 17 years of production, from 1920 to 1937, a numeric system was used. For example the 1937 model year offered a three berth model, the 37P, several four berth versions, (47LD, 47 M and 47MD) and two super de luxe models, the 57SD and the 67SD. I am not aware of any of the Cheltenham Caravans from the pre-war days that survive in roadworthy condition, so all current members possess caravans with a selection of the antelope names that have been used from 1938. In that year the models offered were the Gazelle, Reindeer, Antelope, Stag. Moose and the Eland. The Eland was fitted with a 16 gallon under floor water tank, and also a 4 gallon hot water tank, so it came with hot and cold running water!!

Arthur Gardner, like William Lyons of Jaguar cars, was not only interested in engineering but also had artistic flare and imagination. These qualities are manifest in the caravans he built. He designed the substantial chassis and the beautifully proportioned bodywork. From 1921 when he built his first touring caravan, he was in the vanguard of quality caravan production. The only serious contenders before the Second World War were the Winchester, the Car Cruiser, and Eccles. By the 1960’s Winchester and Car Cruiser had gone, and Eccles had been taken over and was no longer a contender.

The caravans…

Cheltenham were one of the first to have a ball hitch, wind down corner steadies, a damper on the towing hitch, an integral jockey wheel, a triangulated chassis and independent suspension, double wall panelling, gas installation and even a bath in the floor and built-in wireless in some early models!! Since the war developments included use of two doors to help when travelling abroad on the Continent, an emphasis on see – through vision to aid safe towing, and attractive interior lay-outs and furnishings, with both end and mid section kitchens , and built in toilet and washing facilities. The interiors were always bright and light, with large “Morelite” fittings in the roof section.

Early prototype caravans were taken abroad on trials to help in design and development, even travelling to Marrakech in 1933! and as far as Israel. In 1939 the Gnu was offered, with an all steel body like a car, but it proved difficult to build and use, and so was dropped. The onset of war killed the market, and the factory was taken over for aircraft production.

Production resumed in 1946, but the first years were beset by material shortages. Production of the Gnu was restarted but using beaten aluminium sections for the roof. This proved successful, but was too expensive. So experiments were carried out using glass reinforced polyester resin (GRP) and Cheltenham became pioneers in using GRP for caravans. The GRP roof of the Stag had its own moulds and wishing to build a larger van, (the 1956 Springbok) but without the expense of new moulds it was decided to use the Stag moulds with a large gap between them, covered by a very large roof light. It was so popular the company decided to use large rooflights in all models.

Cheltenham eventually introduced GRP fibreglass for front and rear panels, to help cure water ingress problems. They were the first caravan maker to do so. It was also used for the wheel arches and spats... To ensure the caravans were lighter than competitors, curved side walls were introduced, covered in 18 gauge aluminium. This gave four times the strength, with half the framework weight of straight sides. It also gave good looks. The framework was made of hardwood glued and screwed, and with a tongue and grooved floor, these were of a substantial caravan build by any standards.

Throughout their development, all new models were road and site tested extensively before production commenced, by the Gardner family themselves, and once on the market, every opportunity was taken to obtain feedback from the new owners in order to identify any design faults or where there might be room for improvement.

The Sable design, with a large kitchen work-surface area, was the result of trials by Cecil Gardner, who had found cooking in his early Deer model very difficult as there was little space to put down his used pots and pans!!!.

The reason the Cheltenham Caravan Company walked away with most of the Awards presented after the Caravan Club Road Rally and Speed trials in the 1960’s was clear. It was due to Arthur Gardner’s design expertise. What contributed to the best towing characteristics of any caravan ever built were the short A frame, streamlined bodywork, lightness, and most of all having the axle set back from the centre of the chassis producing a nose heavy stance, approximately 1 cwt , depending on the model.

At this time Cheltenham caravans were twenty years ahead of their competitors, and they remain an advanced design. They will be around after the others have gone! It is the most popular make among the classic car fraternity because of its integrity and style, and ease of repair, and to this day Cheltenhams are among the best looking caravans.

Caravan Exports

There are a surprising number of Cheltenham caravans to be found abroad, and a number were exported new from the factory. Cheltenhams are known to have been in Andorra, Canada, Finland, France, Holland, South Africa, Spain, the United States of America. and even in the Cayman Islands!

Some have visited the UK for restoration and modification work, and other owners have had parts dispatched to them, with for example £500 worth to Helsinki!

Associations with other makes

In the late 1930’s Arthur Gardner may have advised the now well known caravan manufacturer “Airstream”. It is understood that Arthur and Joyce used to be invited to their annual dinner.

In the late 1960’s a Mr Bennett, who had a greengrocers shop in Sherborne in Dorset and who knew Arthur Gardner, asked him for advice as he decided to sell the shop and to take over a workshop in the town with the idea of making caravans. The caravans he built were called “Castletons”. You may have noticed the similarity in design and quality; however, he never got the walls to curve!

Formation of the Cheltenham Owners Club in 1950

At caravanning events, particularly International Rallies, The Gardner family generously entertained all the Cheltenham Owners on site and invited them, and indeed encouraged them, to make candid comment about their vans. A close relationship with the owners developed, and among owners, with each other. This gave Arthur and Joy Gardner the idea of starting an owners club, which would be unique as there was no other in existence at the time.

The Gardners spread the word that they would be starting up an owners club, and that there would be a free “meet” for owners at Southfields Manor Farm, (which adjoined Southfield Manor, their family home) , in September 1950.

This was successful in gathering together a number of owners, and a total of 55 vans presented themselves at the farm gate. It had rained for most of August and the entrance to the field had become a quagmire. The prospect was grim, but any misgivings were soon dispelled by the arrival of Cecil Gardner, son of Arthur, who arrived with a Landrover to tow them in. It was not long before all were settled and chatting.

A marquee had been erected and the Gardner family entertained the owners with a splendid dinner, at which the Mayor of Cheltenham and the local MP were guests.

At the meet dinner, a proposal was made that a club be formed, The Cheltenham Owners Club, and the proposal was carried unanimously!! Although the Cheltenham Caravan Company Ltd had organised the meet, future activities were to be organised by a committee appointed by the members. Mr Garner offered the new Club the use of a site at Southfield farm for an annual Rally. This first gathering in September 1950 is now recognised as the first Cheltenham Owners club rally. (That held in June 1970, was hailed as the 21st Annual Rally)

The first Officers and Committee members were duly elected.-

Chairman Mr Ralph Lee

Secretary Mr C.H.Gardner

Treasurer Mrs J.K.Gardner

Committee:- Mr R.J.Frost, Mr F.Gurney, Mrs Majorie Nest and Mr C.B.Offley

Mr. Arthur Gardner agreed to be the first President of the Club

It was decided to have the next meeting of the club the following June, (June 1951) and since then successive committees have held what became known as the “Cheltenham Weekend” annually in June.

The Early Days…1950 to 1974

Over the years the annual meetings at Southfield Farm continued, with gradually increasing numbers, and carried on until the Cheltenham Caravan company ceased trading in 1975, with the owners club then in its 26th year.

As a reminder, the fuel crisis in the early 1970’s led to a major recession in 1973/1974, and in the budget of 1974 it was decided to classify caravans as luxury articles and the Purchase Tax rate was doubled overnight. As a result of this huge increase in tax, the Gardner family decided to close the company, and production in Cheltenham ceased in 1974.

However during that 26 year period attendance at the annual June rallies rose to a peak in excess of 200 caravans. In fact the gatherings became so large that a second field was brought into use, and eventually two large marquees had to be used for the on site events, one for children and teenagers, and one for the adults!!

For example, at the 21st party Rally, in June 1970, a total of 570 people attended, a Friday evening party, and somehow the organisers managed to sit 470 people at the dinner on the Saturday night!