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| Sid G. Hedges (Editor). The Universal Book of Hobbies. London: Odhams Press Limited, 1935. |
"Motor Caravaning" had become a popular pastime in England in the 1930's. According to the source for this photo, the advice was to choose a caravan's weight depending on the power of your car's engine, the rule of thumb being one hundredweight per horsepower. Thus, a 12 h.p. car could pull a 12 cwt. caravan. There were even caravans available for 7 h.p. engines for pulling behind an Austin Seven or even a motorcycle combination! Under British road laws of the time, maximum speed whilst towing a caravan was 30 mph with a 2-wheel rig, and 20 with a 4-wheel one. It must have been really irritating when out on your Velocette to get stuck behind such a combination on the twisty British roads of the day.
For those who want to know more, I've uploaded the full article here.
There are several excellent books on this topic, for those who want to know more:
ReplyDeleteAcross the Continent by the Lincoln Highway by Effie Price Gladding, unknown publisher, 1914
By Motor to the Golden Gate by Emily Post (yes, the etiquette lady), D. Appleton & Co., 1916
West Broadway by Nina Wilcox Putnam, George H. Doran Co., 1921
Americans on the Road: From Autocamp to Motel, 1910-1945 by Warren James Belasco, The MIT Press, 1979
Tinkering: Consumers Reinvent the Early Automobile by Kathleen Franz, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005
The first three titles are available as reprints. Note that West Broadway is a fictionalized account of a transcontinental journey, but filled with details about early automotive travel, and a lot of fun to read. In fact, all five titles, even the most 'scholarly', were enjoyable reads. I found all five titles on-line at very reasonable prices.
You might also enjoy Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography by June Burn, San Juan Publishing, in six editions between 1941 and 2011. A fascinating story about a family on the road, traveling from Maryland to Alaska and all around the lower 48, homesteading the San Juan Islands and more. I read the original 1941 edition, and then passed it on to a nephew. I currently own the 2011 edition.
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