This is a rare original Vickers Morecambe caravan, it’s a British travel trailer from the post-WWII period that offered far more flamboyance than an Airstream, or any other caravan of the era for that matter.
The sheer exuberance of the decoration of the Vickers Morecambe has to be seen to be believed – and it’s not hard to see why these were favored by successful circus showmen and carnival operators across Britain. Relatively few have survived, and they’re now among the most collectible of the post-WWII British-built caravans.
This is a rare original Vickers Morecambe caravan, it’s a British travel trailer from the post-WWII period that offered far more flamboyance than an Airstream, or any other caravan of the era for that matter.
History Speedrun: Vickers Caravans
Harry Vickers was one of the more colourful figures in Britain’s post-war caravan trade. Born in Bolton, he first made a living as a trapeze artist, at times promoting himself as the “world’s strongest man,” and later selling patent medicines across Lancashire.
His career took another turn when he moved into chromework fabrication, a skill that would heavily influence his later caravan designs. After the Second World War, Vickers established a workshop in Morecambe, Lancashire, where he began building caravans and trailers that quickly earned a reputation for their size, luxury, and for their sheer flamboyance.
Unlike the modest, less-costly tourers that dominated the market, a Vickers caravan was built on a larger scale, often bigger than contemporary Airstreams. They were designed less for weekend getaways and more as permanent or semi-permanent homes, especially for traveling showmen, carnival workers, and circus performers who valued both the comfort and the spectacle.
Interiors typically featured fireplaces, tiled floors, mirrored and frosted glass panels, patterned cabinetry, and extensive chrome detailing. If a buyer could afford it, the Vickers workshop would build to order, resulting in caravans that were widely regarded as the most luxurious British examples of their era.
The firm’s products were sometimes referred to under the “Westmorland” name, though accounts vary on whether these were directly built by Vickers or by closely linked workshops. What is clear is that the Morecambe yard produced a small number of highly distinctive caravans through the 1950s and into the 1970s, leaving a lasting impression on those who encountered them.
The Vickers Morecambe caravan you see in this article is one of the best-examples we’ve seen come up for sale in recent memory. It was being used as a successful circus-themed holiday let, and it’s only being sold now due to the owner’s upcoming retirement.
Today only a handful of original Vickers caravans are known to survive. One is preserved at Beamish Museum, while others appear occasionally in sales or restorations. Their rarity, coupled with their extravagant specification, has given them a near-mythic status among collectors and enthusiasts.
Though Vickers himself remains an eccentric footnote in caravan history, his creations are remembered as some of the most striking and opulent trailers built in post-war Britain.
The Vickers Morecambe Caravan Shown Here
The Vickers Morecambe caravan you see in this article is one of the best-examples we’ve seen come up for sale in recent memory. It was being used as a successful circus-themed holiday let, and it’s only being sold now due to the owner’s upcoming retirement.
The above two images show the caravan that way it was set up as a circus-themed holiday rental.
The caravan is one of the most flamboyant we’ve ever featured, with acres of chrome, mirrored surfaces, and other fine detailing throughout. The listing does not that it needs some remedial rust attention to the chassis, and some minor fixes to the body, but due to the rarity of these original Vickers travel trailers it seems there will be no shortage of takers.
This Vickers Morecambe is now being offered for sale out of Shropshire in the United Kingdom on Car & Classic, you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or place a bid.
Images courtesy of Car & Classic
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
