The Shed magazine February/March 2025 issue 119 on sale now
On the road again – new life for old caravans
The allure of a classic caravan can be strong, and many of these gems are being lovingly restored – in fact, Beach Hop even has a prize for the best retro caravan.
In this issue, we showcase three very different caravan restorations—one by a man who owns a company that has been building caravans commercially since the 1950s and is now a household name in caravans and Motorhomes.
The second is a lovingly restored 10-footer that started off a real basket case, and the third, well, friends christened it a turd emoji when they saw the project bought by Marty and Zoe.
Their caravan was destined for their annual pilgrimage to Beach Hop, where thousands gather to show off their super-primped or lovingly restored classic vehicles and caravans
This could be good news for sheddies – but we must be quick!
Our parliament is currently considering a member’s Bill, drawn by ballot, called the ‘Right to Repair’ Bill. It’s due to go a Select Committee for consideration, and we can make submissions i.e. say what we think of it, before 3 April this year. It’s important because it will make spare parts and information for doing repairs far more readily available and this should slow the rate at which appliances, toys and so on, get sent to landfill.
The great Greek gear train
Many years ago in a history of technology, I read a passing mention of a strange artefact, a piece of mechanical gearing, that was in the Athens National Archaeological Museum. I didn’t know then, but getting to see this would become an obsession in my life.
The artefact was recovered in 1900 from an ancient Greek galley. This ocean-floor wreck was accidentally discovered by sponge fishermen sheltering from a storm by the tiny island of Antikythera. One of the artefacts later taken from the ship was a corroded block of copper which, after it was cleaned, revealed the vestiges of a complex gear train. This has come to be known as the Antikythera Mechanism.
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