by Ben Wilby
Bailey received an illustrious guest today (22 November) as the Queen made an official visit to their South Liberty Lane Production Plant, Bristol.
The Queen, accompanied by Prince Phillip, was given a tour of the main manufacturing plant as well as a ride in an Approach SE 760 motorhome.
The visit, part of the Queen’s tour of Britain in her jubilee year, was an excellent way for Bailey to begin celebrating their upcoming 65th anniversary.
Beginning in 1947 with Martin Bailey, who built the first Bailey caravan in his garage, the company has expanded, becoming one of the biggest tourer manufacturers in Europe.
The South Liberty plant has been running since 1960 and now employs over 300 local people.
Commenting on the visit Bailey Managing Director, Nick Howard said: “On behalf of everybody at Bailey of Bristol I would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Her Majesty on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.
“We are delighted that both The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have been able to visit us today. It is clearly a huge honour for everybody associated with the company and the perfect way to begin our own sixty-fifth anniversary celebrations.”
During their visit the Queen and Prince Phillip met the owners as well as numerous members of Bailey staff before watching a short presentation on the history of Britain’s oldest independent manufacturer.
The royal party then entered an Approach SE 760 motorhome which drove them to the entrance of the manufacturing plant.
All guests where then give a guided tour of the main assembly line and witnessed the production of the ‘<' . strtolower('Array') href="/bailey/bailey-unicorn-series-ii/">Bailey Unicorn range.
This was followed by a meeting with some of the key members of the production team who explained the production process.
Bailey Design Office Manager, Steve Wills and Dr Jos Darling from the University of Bath then met the Queen and discussed the latest leisure vehicle design developments with the royal party.
To end their visit Her Majesty and His Royal Highness were shown around a Unicorn Cadiz caravan at the end of the assembly line by Bailey Sales Director John Parker.
Managing Director Nick Howard then made a brief address and Her Majesty The Queen unveiled a plaque to commemorate the visit.
More images of the day’s events can be viewed on the Bailey website, or click on the slideshow below to see CaravanTimes‘ photos from the day.
