The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu has created a dedicated caravanning area to include the miniature Royal Caravan, originally presented to Prince Charles and Princess Anne by The Caravan Club in 1955.
The new area, adjacent to the ‘High Days and Holidays’ exhibit, demonstrates the importance of caravanning to the growth of car-based tourism.
As well as the meticulously restored Royal Caravan, the area includes a 1926 Eccles caravan, a 1964 Commer Auto-Sleeper motor caravan, and some fascinating historical items from The Caravan Club’s archive which is housed at Beaulieu.
Originally built by Dorset-based Rollalong Limited, the Royal Caravan was restored by them for The Club’s Centenary in 2007 when it played a leading role. It was displayed at Blenheim Palace during the National Rally, was seen by tens of thousands of visitors to two major caravan shows at the National Exhibition Centre, and took pride of place at The Caravan Club members’ Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
“The miniature Royal Caravan is a wonderful addition to our Museum display. It looks great in our new caravanning area and is particularly popular with families and younger visitors,” said Andrea Bishop, Director of Collections at the National Motor Museum.
“We are grateful to HRH The Princess Royal for agreeing to the Royal Caravan being displayed at the National Motor Museum,” commented Nick Lomas, Director of Marketing at The Caravan Club. “It makes perfect sense for it to be at Beaulieu with many of The Club’s historical items, and we know it is in good hands.”