Accommodation
'Simple bed, simple life, simple way.'
If you weren’t working for a farm it was very hard to find a stopping place.
Winter months were spent moving around, stopping on the side of the roads and on commons for as long as they could until they were moved on.
Bill Newland
Image courtesy of Bill Newland. 'Bill Newsland's Granny's Reading wagon c1946'
Image courtesy of Mary Penfold - 'Mary Singleton'
A house is bricks and mortar and stuff like that.
If the council provided homes- as you know there are transit sites, council sites, stuff like that Travellers would be happy to move; but not all Travellers are happy to give up their roots just yet.
Anita
A vardo is an old style wagon that Gypsies travelled in.
There were a number living in the vardo, possibly sleeping underneath. Life could be hard.
Avril Fuller
Audio Clips
Linda Smith remembers moving onto a new Local Authority site
Lily describes living in a horse-drawn Gypsy caravan
Lily describes how some families rented a house during the winter
Bill Newland describes how to make a bender tent
Teaching Resources
If you are a teacher, take a look at our teaching resources.
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