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Nov 30, 2022 11:18:02 GMT
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*Fair warning, to get in the spirit of this thread I've got The Levellers on* At Weekender this year someone arrived in a bus to camp in. I commented to HARDCORE and rmad that it was very "dogs on string", and got very blank expressions back. It seemed the existence of the whole New Age Traveller culture had passed some people by, although everyone had heard of Swampy. Here is a great article about the movement : www.frieze.com/article/music-30In the mid-1970s, changes in uk squatting laws had an impact upon urban alternative communities. Evicted squatters and those disillusioned with city life took to the road, living in buses and caravans all year round. Nomadic life suggested idealistic models of co-operative living, and travelling tapped into a tradition of revolutionary utopianism in British culture; one born of romantic longing for a pre-industrial Albion in which the radical was fused with the rural.On to the vehicles:      Whilst looking for these photos I came across this excellent Flickr set www.flickr.com/photos/tinkersworld/albums/72157603925807312 which is a fantastic time capsule of photos.     Given how much the vehicles were part of the culture I can't find any really definitive reference. Then again this was in a time long before ubiquitous phone cameras, and I don't think they were usually the people to be popping to Boots to get their pictures developed. |
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Nov 30, 2022 11:24:39 GMT
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Nov 30, 2022 11:37:09 GMT
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I didn't take photos as it would have been disrespectful, but a year or 18 months back I bought a 1956 Humber Hawk. The guy had an odd address and when I arrived it was a gated compound. I was let in and there was an extensive site in which a range of old buses as dwelligns - I'm guessing from the 1940s through 1970s were arrayed, each on its own plot, some with gardens, some with sheds and outbuildings. Some folks were living in like log cabin type homes as well. it was very odd, the folk there seemed friendly and chill and very much "what happened to the new age travellers 30 years on" vibe. I kinda liked it.
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Last Edit: Nov 30, 2022 11:37:41 GMT by akku
1937 Austin Street Rod - 1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1976 Rover V8 - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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New Age Traveller transportDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Nov 30, 2022 12:06:36 GMT
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I can smell the hemp oil and joss sticks from here 😂
Tbh, I know/have known quite a lot of people who subscribe to this lifestyle, for various reasons.
It’s seeing a lot of a resurgence in an underground way, as so many younger people who have the energy for it realise they’re unlikely to ever own their own homes. I know a guy who breaks HGVs and he has a strong sideline in buying up end of service life PCVs and selling them on in the appropriate circles. Ex-nhs mobile blood donor/screening units are also really popular as they’re fully kitted and and insulated.
The problem is the people doing this are also unlikely to ever be able to afford their own land either, if they did they’d just build a log cabin type house instead as it’s tons easier and more livable, so it can be quite a tumultuous existence which is a shame really as with the tinterwebs being what it is these days it’s Proably easier than ever to live in such a way and still earn a living.
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PHUQ
Part of things
Posts: 859
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Nov 30, 2022 12:46:02 GMT
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There was group living in the edge of the woods just up the hill from me when I was in my late teens. Got on well with one couple in particular who had a late 2a Land Rover very similar to mine, they lived in a caravan as did several others but there were 60's/ 70s and earlier busses, lorries and vans/ ambulances up there too. There's a chap we catch up with at the steam rallies with a fantastic Austin K9 & vintage caravan outfit that's been his home for I think decades now (certainly the lorry). I've spent far too many hours on Dave's Traveller Homes website looking at the various vehicles and wishing I had the balls to do something like that (although the partying and associated antisocial behaviour isn't my bag, there's a certain appeal to the off grid life and of my home truly being mine)... too accustomed to my creature comforts now! |
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Last Edit: Nov 30, 2022 12:53:07 GMT by PHUQ
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,837
Club RR Member Number: 174
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New Age Traveller transportstealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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Nov 30, 2022 12:52:32 GMT
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My recently deceased uncle always lived in a bus from been 15 when he joined a travelling circus to a month before he died. Always seemed to be the exact same type/mix of people as those who love on canal boats. I had some great times visiting him, especially as a teenager. It's something I'd love to do but finding a suitable plot of land isn't easy as a lot seem to be bought up by people who live typically live in caravans.
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Nov 30, 2022 13:13:48 GMT
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It's a fine idea in principle but the UK is not the country in which to do it, for various reasons plus the practicalities of that life aren't really that appealing when you look at it from an objective perspective.
I remember the uproar about this way of life in the 80s, the media seemed to portray them as a sign of the end of days. All rather twee now, when you look at the troubles of modern society.
Some amazing Heath Robinson vehicles too.
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Nov 30, 2022 13:22:55 GMT
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It's quite remarkable, rebrand this lifestyle with digital nomad hipsters, call it #vanlife and suddenly its "on trend".
That whole 80/90s traveller scene captured some of the coolest old buses from the 60s as they were cheap, robust mechanically(if not bodywise) and not desirable to most folk.
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2014 - Audi A6 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro
1958 - Chevrolet Apache Panel Truck
1959 - Plymouth Custom Suburban
1952 - Chevrolet 2dr Hardtop
1985 - Ford Econoline E350 Quadravan
2009 - Ovlov V70 2.5T
1970 - Cortina Mk2 Estate
2007 - Fiat Ducato LWB 120Multijet
2014 - Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi ES
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Nov 30, 2022 14:27:07 GMT
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It's quite remarkable, rebrand this lifestyle with digital nomad hipsters, call it #vanlife and suddenly its "on trend". Just last week we were discussing employment T&C with the management at work and some of this quite hipster stuff was being touted as stuff HR policy is going to actively support. |
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1937 Austin Street Rod - 1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1976 Rover V8 - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Nov 30, 2022 15:11:04 GMT
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2014 - Audi A6 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro
1958 - Chevrolet Apache Panel Truck
1959 - Plymouth Custom Suburban
1952 - Chevrolet 2dr Hardtop
1985 - Ford Econoline E350 Quadravan
2009 - Ovlov V70 2.5T
1970 - Cortina Mk2 Estate
2007 - Fiat Ducato LWB 120Multijet
2014 - Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi ES
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Nov 30, 2022 15:14:40 GMT
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Nov 30, 2022 16:50:55 GMT
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Don't forget Datman is seeking this local landmark  This is a friends house bus in NZ  He had a fair range of live in buses and trucks here before emigrating. |
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jjp666
Part of things
Posts: 134
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Nov 30, 2022 19:03:58 GMT
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still get a lump in my throat listening to Battle of the beanfield, friends of friends in the 80's travelled in the peace convoy.
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This was exactly what I was looking for originally, absolutely chocked full of goodness and some of them have stories associated to them, telling you if they've been scrapped. A number of them have been fully restored, which is also awesome. I was trying to find a clip from a documentary on Glastonbury festival that aired a little while back. The festival is very obviously linked with the traveller and free festival movement particularly in the 80's and early 90's. They described the crack down on travellers as the government seeing that they had successfully made a different way of life for themselves and that being unacceptable. It is obviously more complex than that with the whole Brew Crew thing giving a somewhat lackluster impression of the movement. This is worth a read: alanlodge.co.uk/OnTheRoad/the-story/Particularly alanlodge.co.uk/OnTheRoad/the-story-4/I know this has strayed far from just vehicles, but the whole thing is indelibly linked together. So have another bus:  |
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gib
Part of things
Posts: 163
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I hope this doesn't get too political or locked BUT this is going to be emotive to a lot of people as the battle of the beanfield has never been fully addressed, apologised for and it just steam-rollered onto not so much the Poll tax riots but certainly CJB. Being around Hereford in 90-93 around the age of 18 we had plenty of friends from Stroud way and down the FForest who all lived this lifestyle. It didn't disturb anyone until you had been told to be disturbed.( I need to stop writing otherwise I will get banned). To add something positive can we have more rigs as well (Circus warp, DIY, Bedlam). I was at a lot of the free parties and have memories but no photos, so this is lifted of the net. And if anyone has any of the Fire engines ( Used to come from Nottingham area? ?) That would be a great trip down memory lane. One of Spiral Tribes ( Think it got out to Europe when a lot of systems went on long term loan to police around 95?)  e3b7a90d00db4d2c5b3f68e1e9d736e6--spiral-tribe-free-people by creativeq, on Flickr |
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This was exactly what I was looking for originally, absolutely chocked full of goodness and some of them have stories associated to them, telling you if they've been scrapped. A number of them have been fully restored, which is also awesome. I was trying to find a clip from a documentary on Glastonbury festival that aired a little while back. The festival is very obviously linked with the traveller and free festival movement particularly in the 80's and early 90's. They described the crack down on travellers as the government seeing that they had successfully made a different way of life for themselves and that being unacceptable. It is obviously more complex than that with the whole Brew Crew thing giving a somewhat lackluster impression of the movement. This is worth a read: alanlodge.co.uk/OnTheRoad/the-story/Particularly alanlodge.co.uk/OnTheRoad/the-story-4/I know this has strayed far from just vehicles, but the whole thing is indelibly linked together. So have another bus: There's a book that I think the fella from the traveller homes website wrote, it's got some great photos in it. The bean field is a harrowing story. I love this whole thing as it was kind of the follow on from the Anarcho punk squatters of the early 80s |
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My brother inlaw spent some time on narrow boats and busses in the late 90's. A couple of years a go he found himself sofa surfing for a bit then bought this 1960's Showmans caravan and had it set up in the yard at work until the landlord got fed up of him.   He also has this Bedford RL with Showmans back on it which he intends to do as a travellers truck   |
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Interesting reading the Wikipedia article aboiut The Battle of the Beanfield.
I went to the 1975 Free festival at Watchfield (only for a day) as a 16 year old. I had a lot of 'hippy' friends at the time. My dad took me, in his Austin Maxi, and got stopped as a suspected drug dealer.
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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Jonny69
Part of things
Posts: 823
Member is Online
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Obviously not going to say where this is, but I’m pretty sure someone lives in this.  There’s also a tiny Citroen camper that appears from time to time. I’ll try and get a pic next time I see it. |
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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New Age Traveller transportChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Reading up on the New Age travellers has been quite interesting, in particular around
-how they lived and went about life
-the vehicles they used to sustain that way of life.
Reading more into the Battle of the Beanfield, I can appreciate it's a raw subject still for some, both the battle, and also how folks were forced to effectively come out of a lifestyle they had known.
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