Carriage building, driving and general horsing around in country Victoria
With the roof and mollicroft completed, and no more up-and-downing the step ladder, I felt it safe to put the rear wheels on. This revealed the true size of the cavernous area delineated by the rear underbody, rear axle and Continue reading
Regular readers will have previously seen the lock and wheels etc. upside down in A Vardo – Part Four, but now that I have it all painted (figure 1), it’s constantly in the way and easily damaged. I decided, therefore, Continue reading
A vardo in a week‽ Image 1. These pictures show a week in the life of a clever gypsy whom the editor of this magazine met in a strawberry field in Kent. He builds his caravans chiefly with his knife, Continue reading
Whatever your persuasion and situation, I wish you all well during the festive season. Santa Clause under attack from those pesky rabbits, circa 1565. Orson Cart
I attached the roof panels to the mollicroft frame, undercoated it all (figure 1) and then hoisted the whole thing atop the body and fixed it to the two end-wall rafters (figure 2). Fig. 1. The mollicroft ready for installation… Continue reading
As often happens, life gets in the way of one’s agenda and, as a result, work on the vardo hit a hiatus late last December. Then just when I was about to commence the vardo’s interior, the Old Green Jinker Continue reading
To reduce the mass and make flipping the ‘unders’ right-side-up somewhat easier, the brakes and running gear were dismantled again and the lock was also removed. I then fixed the 6” x 7/8” tongue and groove floorboards to the summers Continue reading
With the wheels completed, I was able to compare their dish, and thereby, offset, in relation to the undercarriage and (proposed) body, and thus establish the lengths of the two axles. Each axle comprises a pair of stub-axles that are Continue reading
Though not as plentiful as ‘Royal Oak’, ‘Red Lion’ or ‘King’s Arms’ inns and pubs along the highways and byways of England, there still remain a number of inns called ‘The Cock Horse’. Invariably situated at the bottom of a Continue reading
My intention was to have the vardo finished by Christmas as I had planned a lengthy, scenic route for her maiden voyage this summer (I live in Australia now, remember?). Alas, though I am fairly well insulated against COVID-19, the Continue reading