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Llangollen News

Oldest Caravan in the World at Motor Museum

What could well prove to be the oldest motorised caravan in the world is celebrating its 100th birthday from its current home, ironically in one of the top tourism destinations in the UK.

The small Motor Museum in Llangollen, North Wales, has housed the single berth, wooden construction for over 12 years, not really thinking it to be of any importance until recent research pointed out what a unique piece of the British leisure industry they have on display!

“The caravan has been kindly loaned to us by a gentleman from Bala and has been a part of the museum collection for over the past 12 years or so.

All we knew it was constructed from plans published in the motoring press in 1908 so we thought we’d do a bit of research for its 100th birthday - and that’s when we found out its true significance,” said Llangollen Museum owner Mr Gwilym Owen.

The first horse drawn ‘leisure’ caravan, The Wanderer, was designed by writer Dr W. Gordon-Stables and built by the Bristol Carriage Company in 1880. He used the vehicle as a mobile study from which to write his successful boys books and was probably influenced by the assorted ’caravans’ used by travelling salesmen and Gypsies earlier in the century.

One of his best selling books was a travel-log of a mammoth trip to Scotland in his horse drawn caravan, entitled “The Cruise of the Land Yacht Wanderer.” Many other ‘Gentleman Gypsies’ were inspired to follow this example, resulting in the formation of the Caravan Club in 1907, with Gordon Stables its first President.

Horse powered caravans were still very much in use up until just after WWI, with the motorised versions generally believed to have been introduced around 1915.

“This puts our caravan some 7 years earlier than the current histories believe, which makes it a very important piece of British motoring heritage. It just shows how sophisticated cars had become in a relatively short space of time, with manufacturers such as Rover, Daimler and of course Rolls Royce now in full swing,” said Gwilym.

The caravan itself was built by a Mr A. W. Haslam, an amateur artist from Heanor, Derbyshire and was used solely on his painting expeditions to beauty spots up and down the country.

Mr Haslam would be away for up to two months at a time but unfortunately went blind in 1940 but he was still taken for holidays in it by his family up until the time of his death in 1958, when aged 80.

The last known ‘trip’ for this amazing vehicle was in July 1960, from when it was stored in a barn by his granddaughter until 1988, when it was sold on to a local man who in turn sold it to the present owner.

“It’s had a little bit of modernisation over the years, such as new wheels and axle from a 1930’s Austin and a more modern hitch but everything else is basically the same as it was when constructed.

It’s very much like a garden shed on wheels and I can imagine it was very cosy in its day, especially if you tried to fit more than one person inside it. Still, everything has to start somewhere!”

Date Added: 8-8-2008

£1million Refit of Historic Hotel Cements Commitment to Llangollen

One of North Wales’ most picturesque hotels has just completed a £1million refit to cater for the increased levels of business developed over the past 3 years.

The Chainbridge Hotel, on the outskirts of Llangollen, has seen visitor numbers increase by over 55% since it came into the ownership of the Llangollen Hotels Group, who also own the Wild Pheasant, Bryn Howel and Bodidris Hall Hotels within the region.

“The current investment levels are an indication of our commitment to the tourism product of Llangollen, which we believe can and will get even stronger over the next few years.

The product enables excellent visitor potential throughout the year, with established events, attractions, outdoor pursuits as well as the fascinating history and stunning scenery the town and greater Dee Valley has to offer. We’re here and here to stay,” said Stephanie Booth, Managing Director of the Llangollen Hotels Group.

The plans to take the Llangollen Steam Railway as far as Corwen are another factor in the long term decision making towards the hotel group, especially with the soon to be restored Berwyn Station an ideal dropping off point.

The Chainbridge Hotel itself has seen a programme of improvements which include the fitting of a new flat roof, a complete refurbishment of all 36 bedrooms, new carpeting throughout, the introduction of WiFi to name but a few.

“It’s virtually a new hotel, the nearest work we could have done without knocking it down and starting again, which was actually discussed! The most amazing thing about all the work is it has been done whilst still open and it didn’t affect our visitors at all.

The hotel is now up to the standards of quality we expect from all our properties but it doesn’t mean we’ll be standing still. There are always new ideas and developments and we’ll always be looking to introduce them at the nearest possible opportunity,” continued Stephanie.

“The current plans to restore the actual chain bridge itself should, when completed, create a whole new tourism product, linking the refurbished hotel with the Llangollen Railway and Canal, helping to generate further investment into the local economy.

It’s a long term dream shared by both ourselves and the local community but there’s a lot of water to flow under the bridge before that project reaches fruition,” continued Stephanie.

Date Added: 13-11-2008

Bee-keepers on alert for rustlers

Bee-keepers in North Wales are on their guard after a criminal ‘sting’ saw a million bees stolen in nearby Shropshire.
An epidemic of bee-rustling in neighbouring counties of England recently culminated in a major theft from a farm near Telford amid rumours of a lucrative black market in stolen hives.
But bee-keeping is on the increase despite crime, disease and cold weather, according to David Hards, Chairman of the South Clwyd Beekeepers Association who will be promoting the cause of the honeybee at The Gardening Show, Llangollen, next month and hoping to recruit new members.
He said: “More and more people are getting interested in keeping bees, not only for producing their own honey but also to improve the environment; so perhaps all the doom and gloom about the future of bees is having a good effect.
“We will be at the show, hoping to recruit new people to the cause and offering courses in bee-keeping as well as advice on how to encourage bees into your garden.
“Not everyone wants to be a bee-keeper most people enjoy the honey bees buzzing among their flowers.”
Gardening Show Director Stephen Green is delighted to have the bee-keepers at the show which takes place over the weekend of June 6 and 7 at the Royal International Pavilion in Llangollen.
He said: “There is obviously a very real link between gardens and bees – we rely on bees and other insects to pollinate our flowers and to ensure a good harvest of vegetables and fruit.
“Anything that’s bad for bees is also bad for gardeners and so we’re really pleased the South Clwyd Bee-keepers will be at the show and we hope they enlist plenty of new recruits – certainly bees are fascinating creatures.”
And increasingly valuable, according to David Hards who said: “Thieves are opportunists but to pinch a hive and transport it you would have to know what you were doing so there must be some bad apples in the world of bee-keeping.”
He checks his own hives regularly but believes bad weather and disease remain much bigger threats to small-scale bee-keepers than organised rustling.
He said: “A major problem is the varroa mite and that is true for bee-keepers, large and small.
“Over here the other main concern is the weather after two very cold, wet summers which has weakened the bees and made them more susceptible to the varroa mite.
“In a good year an average hive will produce 90lbs of honey but the last couple of years have been very poor, cold and damp, so we’re looking forward to a fine summer and a bumper harvest this year.”
David and his wife, Margaret, sell the honey from their home at Llangynhafal, near Ruthin, along with jam, eggs and other produce and plants.

Date Added: 26-5-2009

Show celebrates legendary lady gardeners

The £900,000 restoration of the beautiful garden created by the iconic Ladies of Llangollen will be celebrated at one of the UK’s top horticultural events.
Visitors to The Gardening Show, in Llangollen, will come away smelling of roses thanks to a link up with Plas Newydd, the home of the Ladies of Llangollen.
Lady Eleanor Butler and the Honourable Sarah Ponsonby scandalised strait-laced 18th century when they “eloped” from their native Ireland.
The exact nature of their relationship has never been fully understood but they are heroines to the lesbian and gay community.
Plas Newydd became a magnet for writers and intellectuals. Wordsworth, Edmund Burke, Sir Walter Scott and the Duke of Wellington all visited The Ladies of Llangollen and their lovely garden.
People in attending The Gardening Show on the weekend of June 6 and 7 will have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps.
A free minibus service will take green-fingered visitors from the Royal International Pavilion, where The Gardening Show is being held, to Plas Newydd.
Now owned by Denbighshire County Council, who financed the garden’s £900,000 restoration, it will be linked to the Show for the first time.
The 13 acres with their ornate topiary, parterre, Georgian shrubbery and dell, will be at their best for the Show weekend, promises Plas Newydd’s head gardener Gary Lovelock.
Gary, who spearheaded the five-year restoration of the garden, will also be on hand to reveal some of its secrets.
“The Ladies were renowned for their garden with its plants from around the world,” he said: “They particularly loved roses so the recreated topiary and parterre have been planted with pink, highly-scented roses, as they would have had in their day.”
Very little of the original garden remained when Gary was hired in 2002 to take on the task of restoring it to its former glory.
“The Ladies were famous for their shrubbery too, but most of it had disappeared and no plans survived,” he said: “However, we were able to get a lot of information from diaries about what was planted there and archaeologists were able to say how it would have looked.”
Although they employed two gardeners, including the legendary Moses Jones who was sacked numerous times for drinking, the women did roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty in the garden.
“They created a romantic, self-sufficient garden with hot houses and mushroom beds and grew all their own veg on site,” said Gary: “They were also enthusiastic recyclers.
“The house was very plain when they arrived but they used the wood from four-poster beds, which were then going out of fashion, to decorate the house inside and to create a porch.”
The lovingly recreated borders have been filled with roses, day lilies, rhamnus, sweet cicely and rubina as well as a ceanothus that the women used to make tea.
Gary’s favourite find has been two Home oaks in the shrubbery.
“They are mature now and are coming to the end of their life but it’s nice to be able to point to them and say that the ladies planted them,” he said.
Show Director Stephen Green is delighted to be teaming up with Gary and Plas Newydd and is looking forward to a bigger vand better show than ever in this their fourth year.
Stephen, a former chairman of the Garden Writers Guild and Phostrogen’s gardening expert, said: “The Ladies of Llangollen are iconic figures, not least among gardeners but also for the gay community.
“Gary has done a fantastic job of recreating their original and very personal garden.
“Recycling and growing your own are all the rage now and rightly so but the Ladies were into all that back in Victorian times.
“It really is a great opportunity to take in a gardening double to come to the Show and see Plas Newydd as well.”
Gary Lovelock will conduct two hour-long guided walks around Plas Newydd’s Gardens on Saturday and Sunday at 10.30am and 2pm. He will also give garden demonstrations at 12.30pm and 3.30pm on both days. Cost:£1.
And there will be plenty of other attractions as what is being dubbed the biggest Garden Party in North Wales which this year will be opened by down to earth BBC One Show gardening expert Christine Walkden.
It will also feature starring roles for a host of winners from the Chelsea Flower Show, including the legend of the vegetable patch, Anglesey’s Medwyn Williams MBE, the only person to have won ten consecutive Chelsea Flower Show golds and who with his wife, Gwenda, has agreed to be a Patron of the Show.
Other big names from the gardening world include Tatton Park Head Gardener Sam Youd, Erddig Head Gardener Glyn Smyth and broadcaster Nigel Snow.
And Medwyn won’t be the only Chelsea gold medallist on show with the likes of Roualyn Fuchsias and Dibleys Nurseries staging displays.
From the world of garden design there is the innovative Emily Reddy of Reddy Landscapes while the show’s organisers are keen to attract gardeners of all ages and so over 30 schools have entered a planting competition and there will be a range of activities for children in the Environment Village.
There will also be cookery demonstrations and tips from North Wales’s very own celebrity chef, Graham Tinsley MBE, the manager of the Welsh Culinary Team and fresh from ITV’s hit ‘Taste The Nation’ who will be recreating recipes from the TV show.
The fine art and sculpture exhibition has grown in size and will once again feature the magical work of micro sculptor Willard Wigan with some of his latest pieces.
An improved café area gives more catering options and there is more live music too.
Stephen Green said: “My background is in gardening and getting people involved, not lecturing them but showing them how to do things, getting them hands-on.
“We’ve gone for a structured quality educational approach and our exhibitors are hand-picked for being consumer friendly, knowledgeable and high quality and it seems to have worked.”

Date Added: 26-5-2009