Restoration Projects

2009 Projects

One of the museum volunteers, Ron Dawson, will also be working on the restoration of an Austin J40 Pedal Car.  Austin J40s were made in the 1950s in South Wales at a factory established to provide rehabilitation and employment for disabled coal miners. The cars were made from scrap off-cuttings from cars built at the Longbridge plant and although they were toys they had working headlights, Dunlop tyres, an opening bonnet and boot and leather seating.  They sold for the grand sum of £27 – around 3 weeks wages!  Ron will be working on restoring this fantastic example of an Austin J40 which we hope to have on display at the museum later in the year.

2008 Projects

Esmeralda is our most recent addition to the Gypsy caravans, or Vardos, at Hartlebury. She came from the family of the author Anthony Sampson. Esmeralda was originally built in 1909. Her construction is unusual with having a bow top and side windows. She is also particularly large and we think that the wheels come from a pair of recycled carriage axles. We believe that Esmeralda was named after Esmeralda Locke, the daughter of well-known Welsh Gypsy family. This girl was something of a free-spirit. She married the town clerk of Bridgnorth when she was young, but ran away with Gypsy Lore Society member Francis Groome. She could not settle with Francis either and left him to pursue the wild, free, wandering Romany life as a dancer and singer.