by Joe Jeffrey
West Dorset craftsman invents wagon/caravan hybrid which can be towed without the need for a horse!
A West Yorkshire craftsman has unveiled the latest entry into the caravan market – and it come with a twist.
Mixing a bit of old with a bit of new, former boat builder, Chris Ward, has invented the ‘twagon’, combining elements of a traditional Romany gypsy caravan with the caravans of today – and the results are impressive.
The twagon – meaning towable wagon – was invented by Chris by mounting a traditional bowtop wagon onto a caravan chassis, enabling budding traditionalists to tow their twagon and pitch up wherever they feel like.
Each twagon takes Chris approximately eight weeks to build from scratch and is modelled on a traditional horse-drawn wagon. But it’s the detail that goes into each one that impresses us here at CaravanTimes.
Using as many local products as possible, the twagon is made out of local ash and Pine from Devon, whilst the glass painting is done by Chris and his friend, Sarah Harvey, who has extensive experience in painting gypsy wagons.
Interest in twagons has increased immensely since Chris started building them and a recent fair where former boat builder, Chris, showed off his creation attracted quite a long line of intrigued visitors itching to look inside, as he told the Bournemouth Echo.
“I couldn’t believe that people were queuing up waiting to go in. I probably could have charged them £1!”
Chris thinks the twagon will sppeal to a wide range of people, continuing: “I think the twagon has an appeal for many different people. A lot of retired people are interested in taking it on their cars and being mobile.
“It’s just a very authentic thing.”
We second that Chris and can’t wait to see how much the twagon catches on.
To find out more about the Twagon, visit Chris’ website here.
