The Caravan Club has long recognised its responsibility for collecting material relating to its colourful history. Previously stored at The Club’s headquarters, this rapidly growing collection of memorabilia was relocated to the National Motor Museum in 2006 during the run up to the Centenary year.
Since arriving at The National Motor Museum, the collection has been packed to archival standard and is undergoing a programme of cataloguing and continual preservation, carried out by a dedicated Project Officer.
Items in the Collection
The Caravan Club Collection contains a variety of material including programmes, documents, directories, cloth pennants, commemorative ceramics and rally plaques. Many of these items reflect the history of popular Caravan Club events including the annual National Rally, British Caravan Road Rally competitions and regional Centre activities.
The collection also holds many surprises in the form of unusual novelty items including 1950s decorative Club napkin rings and even jewellery bearing The Caravan Club logo.
In addition, the collection contains an important and diverse selection of photographs. From early images of horse drawn caravans to recent pictures of Club sites, the photographs housed in The Caravan Club Collection provide a snapshot of a century of caravanning history.
Looking to the Future
The Caravan Club appreciates the importance of contemporary collecting and is keen to gather Club items from today to preserve for the future.
With the introduction of the new Club logo in early 2007, a variety of items bearing the previous branding has been added to the collection. Also, the entire range of Centenary giftware has made an important addition for the future of the collection.