Britain's long obsession with caravan holidays
The Royal Caravan – a fully functional, scaled-down caravan – was built in 1955 by Rollalong Caravans Limited in Ringwood, Hampshire as a gift from the Caravan and Motorhome Club to the young royal siblings.
It was presented to them in recognition of the Duke of Edinburgh's patronage of the Club, which began in 1952. Now, a special showcase at the National Motor Museum in Hampshire will mark the 70th anniversary of the miniature home on wheels – and with it, the nation's enduring passion for caravan holidays.
More than a toy
Measuring 6ft 9ins long and 5ft 9ins high, the Royal Caravan was more than a toy. Designed to be roadworthy, it featured working interior lights, a sink with hand pump and road-legal fittings, including a hitch, brakes, and corner steadies.
As well as custom furnishings, it included a Poole Pottery tea set, Beatrix Potter books, and a signed copy of Children of the New Forest by Captain Marryat.
It had a wooden hob instead of a working stove for safety reasons, but came with a kettle and frying pan to play with. Originally, the caravan was towed around the grounds of Buckingham Palace by a specially-modified Hillman Husky from the royal fleet, with the Duke of Edinburgh personally taking his children on a test tow.
After it was outgrown by Prince Charles and Princess Anne, the caravan was stored at Sandringham, then restored for the Caravan and Motorhome Club's 75th anniversary in 1982, then again for its centenary.
It has been displayed several times, including at Buckingham Palace, and since 2016 has been permanently housed at the National Motor Museum.
'This exhibition is a celebration of both royal history and caravanning history,' said Sara Riccabone, curator of the Caravan and Motorhome Club Collection. 'The Royal Caravan is a fascinating piece of craftsmanship and a testament to the enduring appeal of caravanning.'
Enduring appeal
That enduring appeal arguably lies in the caravan's universal accessibility to the British public.
While horse-drawn caravans were used as homes on wheels as far back as the early 19th century, according to the Historic Caravan Club, it's generally accepted that the first leisure caravan was Wanderer – a purpose-built design built around 1880 by the Bristol Carriage Company for Dr. W. Gordon-Stables, who went on to become the first president of the Caravan Club when it was founded in 1907.
According to historian Andrew Jenkinson, after the First World War, a Birmingham father-and-son team 'saw the future of caravanning with cars', building the first commercial touring caravan, the Eccles car-pulled caravan, in 1919.
While early caravans were initially the preserve of the rich, in the 1930s a rise in middle-class car owners also led to an increase in the number of caravan owners, sparking growth in the holiday industry.
According to the Caravan and Motorhome Club, in the 1950s, when there was an increase in the popularity of caravanning, there were around 3,000 new caravans manufactured each year. Fast forward to the 21st century and the caravan's popularity appears to have endured, with an estimated 500,000 to 555,000 on the road today.
In 2022 research carried out for the club by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) found the number of Britons considering a touring holiday had grown by 20 per cent in the two years to April 2022, while research by Mintel found that 47 per cent of UK adults went on a camping or caravanning holiday in the last three years.
And according to Pitchup.com, touring caravan bookings are up 21 per cent so far this year, versus last year, with 14 per cent of pitch bookings in the past 12 months for touring caravans specifically. 'Most of those taking a trip in a touring caravan tend to be either older couples aged 50-plus, or families,' said Pitchup.com founder Dan Yates. 'We see younger couples favouring campervans and roof-mounted tents, although it's fair to assume that many will grow into a full touring caravan in due course.'
A more affordable option
There has certainly been a trend towards campervans and motorhomes in recent years, but it's fair to say a traditional touring caravan remains a potentially more financially-accessible option – with prices closer to £15,000 for a new purchase compared to £60,00 for a brand new campervan. According to the Caravan and Motorhome Club, while a top-of-the-range caravan could cost £50,000-plus, you could buy a good secondhand caravan 'for no more than the cost of one or two family package holidays'.
On top of that, the uptick in renting or 'subscribing' to a caravan rather than purchasing one outright means some people might be getting involved without buying one, suggests accountancy firm PKF Smith Cooper. And while affordability might be a factor in encouraging people to choose a caravan over a 'cooler' campervan, so too is nostalgia.
As a campervan owner myself, I have fond memories of childhood caravan holidays with my best friend's family, and plenty of celebrities share that joy. ITV's Lorraine Kelly is said to be a caravan lover, as is Warwick Davis, while Cold Feet star Helen Baxendale previously said: 'I just love the feeling of 'We're off!' I had a lot of caravanning holidays when I was young with my parents and have very happy memories, and this is me trying to replicate that.'
The most popular places for caravanning
'On a practical level, touring caravans are an easy solution for those who like to explore the UK often through multiple short breaks,' said Yates. 'They're also – bar the initial investment – a really cost-effective solution, with pitch costs from as little as £9 per night.'
The obvious choices for a caravan holiday might be the seaside, but according to Pitchup.com, the central region is overtaking the South West in popularity, 'partly to avoid the crowds (and narrow lanes) of the south west, but also because it's home to the largest number of sites rated a full 10/10 by past Pitchup guests', he added.
'The key factors that our customers regularly highlight for an enjoyable touring caravan stay include level, serviced pitches, good access routes around the site and well-kept shared amenities, as well as a peaceful atmosphere.'
The caravan may have started its life as a toy for the rich, and a gift for royals, but this much-loved British institution has cemented its place as a holiday home-from-home for people from all backgrounds, with no sign of the nation's love affair ending anytime soon.
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