The Caravan Club was founded in 1907, "to bring together those
interested in van life as a pastime…to improve and supply suitable
vans and other appliances….to develop the pastime by collecting,
publishing and supplying to members, books and periodicals and
lists of camp sites etc… to arrange camping grounds".
Over 100 years later, The Caravan Club provides almost 375,000
member households with access to nearly 3,000 locations, as well as
access to its vast storehouse of knowledge and expertise in how to
make the most of caravanning as a leisure pastime.
Today it still promotes and connects those interested in
caravanning.
Timeline:
1885: The first purpose-built touring caravan,
The Wanderer, is produced to the design of Dr William Gordon
Stables, an inspiration behind the founding of The Club.
1907: On 14 June 1907, The Caravan Club of
Great Britain and Ireland is founded at 72 Stamford Brook Road,
London, the home of J Harris Stone.
1908: The Club holds its inaugural AGM at the
Whitehall Rooms in London on 19th February. In May, The Club's
first rally was held in a meadow in Ockham, Surrey.
1909: The Club stages a second rally in June,
at the Berkeley Arms Hotel at Cranford Bridge, near Hounslow.
Membership reaches 157.
1910: In June, Cane Hill in Coulsdon, Surrey,
becomes the third stop on the rally calendar.
1912: While The Club was founded by ten men and
one woman, within only five years women accounted for nearly one
third of The Club's 267 members. By the annual Dinner in June, The
Club had hosted 13 rallies and 30 Council meetings since inception,
and The Club could boast a total of 450 pitches in the UK and
Ireland - Sussex led the way with 51.
1913: The Ipswich meet of The Caravan Club
makes front-page news in the Daily Mirror.
1914: Wittensford in the New Forest and
Mablethorpe on the north Lincolnshire coast become new rally
destinations.
1915: The Annual Dinner is cancelled due to the
First World War.
1916: At the AGM, the Council reports that Club
members have provided caravans to the Red Cross in order to aid the
War effort.
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1918: Club members deliver fifty caravans
within 24 hours to Field Marshal Haig, in order to aid mobile
operations following the German withdrawal.
September 1918: Club founder J Harris Stone is
owed more than £8 in expenses - the Club's coffers stand at just
£3
May 1920: Whit Monday rally at Abbey Court in
Kent is the last big gathering for 15 years
1921: A meet arranged at Cirencester Park is
cancelled after disagreements over dates and only four
applications
February 1922: Stone is the only attendee at a
Council meeting
1932: The Club moves to new headquarters, at
140a Shaftesbury Avenue
1933: Membership of the Club drops to just 80
and Stone is running the Club almost single-handedly
September 1935: Mit Harris and Bernard Dolman
take over the running of the Club
Early 1936: The first Centre - Northumberland
and Durham - is started, thanks to the efforts of a Colonel H
Millican
1936: The National Rally at Leamington Spa
attracts 100 caravans
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Mid-1937: Club membership stands at 1300 - over
1200 more than it boasted just four years previously
1938: The Caravan and Trailer magazine is
bought by the Link House Group, and the Club re-establishes links
with the magazine
1938: Some 181 outfits attend the National
Rally at Warwick Castle - a record attendance for a club meet in
Britain
Autumn 1938: A rally in Southport attracts 100
caravans and a great deal of interest from the non-caravanning
public and press
1939: A record 201 outfits turn up for the
National Rally near Northampton
1940: Delamere Forest, Cheshire, and Cheddar in
Somerset are the last two rally destinations during the war
years
June 1941: Club membership stands at 1729, with
over 200 new members since the outbreak of the war
August 1941: The 100th edition of The Caravan
magazine is issued
27 June 1945: The Scottish Caravan Club, which
was founded in 1936, becomes the Scottish Division of The Caravan
Club
1947: Membership stands at a very healthy 4200
and the Club boasts 13 Centres and Divisions
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1947: Caravanners and the Club benefit from the
Town & Country Planning Act
1952: HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh,
appointed Patron
10 May 1955: The Club presents Prince Charles
and Princess Anne with a fully-working miniature caravan
1956: West Runton (now known as Incleboro Fields)
is the first site signed up under the Lease and Service Agreement
system, whereby landowners allows the Club to lease their land at a
peppercorn rent of £1 a year
August 1958: Thanks to the influence of Club
secretary Donald Chidson, the towing speed limit is raised by 10mph
to 40mph
31 December 1959: The Club regains its
independence and officially becomes The Caravan Club
January 1963: The first issue of En Route, the
Club's own magazine, is published
1967: A motion to allow motor caravanners to
become members of the Club is carried
April 1968: Cooperative Woods (now Abbey Wood) is
opened - it is the first large-scale municipal fully-equipped
touring caravan and camping site in Britain
October 1975: The Club's moves it main office from
Mayfair to its current location at East Grinstead House
1976: The Club buys Church Cove, at Landewednack
in Cornwall, for the nation as part of the National Trust's
Enterprise Neptune scheme, at a cost of £5000
1 May 1979: Mayday roadside assistance and
recovery service is launched thanks to a collaboration with
National Breakdown (Green Flag)
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1980: The Club receives one of the Queen
Mother¹s 80th birthday awards for its support of the Keep Britain
Tidy Group
1981: Glanusk Park, in Wales, becomes the first
venue outside England to host a National Rally
1982: The Wanderer makes appearances on two BBC1
TV programmes as part of the Club¹s 75th anniversary
celebrations
1982: The miniature caravan presented originally
to the royal family in 1955, was returned to Princess Anne for her
children to enjoy
1982: A banquet at Guildhall, in the presence of
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, helps to mark the 75th
anniversary
1983: Link House sells its remaining shares in the
1935 company to The Caravan Club Limited, ensuring the Club¹s total
independence
1990: Bob Black begins his record-breaking reign
as Club Chairman which he held for 17 years.
1997: The Club introduces a two-tier Council
structure, comprising a smaller Club Council and nine Regional
Councils
2004: Hillhead Club site re-opens, offering
facilities more associated with commercial sites it boasts a
shop, restaurant and bar, recreation room and heated swimming
pool
2006: Burrs Country Park opens, becoming the
Club's first green field development for many years
2007: The Club celebrated its Centenary on 14th
June 2007, with parties on every site and celebrations throughout
the year. There was a garden party at Buckingham Palace and the
80th National Rally was held at Blenheim Palace. In October, Bob
Black MBE stands down as Chairman and is replaced by Grenville
Chamberlain.
2008: Poolsbrook Country Park Caravan Club Site
officially opens as the 'greenest' caravan site development in the
UK with a range of energy saving technologies including geothermal
heat recovery, solar and photovoltaic panels, grey water recycling
and wind turbine. All technologies monitored for suitability
for future site developments.
2009: With popularity of caravanning at an
all-time high, The Club adds nine new sites to the network.
The Caravan Club archive at the National Motor Museum continues to
grow with historical items on display alongside the miniature royal
caravan, returned to The Club for safekeeping by HRH the Princess
Royal.
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