A brief history of gypsy wagon
For hundreds of years, these amazing constructions have been the homes of the humble nomadic gypsy. A longstanding tradition of elaborate carvings and intricate paintwork has created some stunning examples, laying testament to the imagination and craftsmanship of these skilled travellers. In Britain, the gypsy wagon is enjoying a renaissance. Small one-person seclusions at the bottom of gardens and novel places for guests to stay are becoming choice retreats from a fast-paced modern world. Only recently I met a young couple who were touring the countryside in a traditional wooden gypsy wagon, working their way from job to job. Their kettle was warming over a log fire for a morning brew. In this article, master carver Bruce Weier tells us about carving decorations for this replica gypsy wagon. Rather ironically, a great deal of international travel was involved to bring it all together in the customary gypsy wagon style.
The story
Out of the blue in July 2010, I had a phone call from an unknown fellow called Harry Howarth. He had been told that I “was the bloke who would help him out” with his project. He asked if I could do some carvings for him on a gypsy wagon. I was not familiar with this type of wagon. But I had recently completed carvings for a reconditioned 1860 German horse-drawn hearse – I assumed that this project would be similar and as straightforward. I replied that I would be glad to help him out. Little did I know what was coming my way!
Making it the traditional way
Harry arrived at my workshop later that day with the plans for a Dunton & Sons 1914 Ledge Wagon. He wanted to build it as it would have been in bygone times – without using any electrical tools! Needless to say, I was stunned with the number of ornate carvings required for both inside and outside of the wagon.
Showcase our creation
Harry’s dream was to enter his horse-drawn gypsy wagon in the many heavy horse agricultural shows that occur regularly around Australia. Marks are awarded by the judges for the appearance and performance of both horse and wagon. He put the cart before the horse, and enthusiastically asked me to go ahead with the project before he had even purchased a suitable Clydesdale horse to do the hard work. I am not altogether sure that he fully understood just how long it would take to build the wagon, complete the carvings, and have a sign writer work this artistry to the extent and detail required.
Doing the research
Starting the carvings, Bill Ross – an experienced Queensland wooden boat builder – travelled around the UK and liaised with the local gypsy wagon restorers to glean information and salient points of reference. He found out all he could on Ledge wagons. He returned with much enthusiasm to start work on the body of the wagon. Meanwhile, I had studied the plans carefully and submitted many drawings of my ideas for the external carvings. Along with the traditional carvings of shutter stops, corbels, ivy leaves, grapes, acanthus leaves, horses, gargoyles and gryphons, Harry had requested that I incorporate as many birds as possible – as exotic birds are a passion of his.
And so the peacocks became the feature of the porch brackets.
External carvings
My task of carving and turning the embellishments for the wagon in Australian white beech (Gmelina leichhardtii), took the best part of four years. This included working intermittently with other commissions on various other mini projects. I began my part of the project with the easier external carvings. These comprised a whopping 1,008 birds, leaves and c-scrolls. I was informed by my colleagues that these were even more monotonous to paint than to carve! These were then fixed to the painted body of the wagon. I then carved the six gargoyles for the drainpipes and two gryphons for each end of the central bolster of the undercarriage. My confidence was growing! I then concentrated on the two, 2m wide by 450mm deep by 40mm thick, crown boards above the front door and rear window. These were carvings of acanthus leaves and horses’ heads.
The biggest challenge
What followed was the most challenging part of the commission: the four double-sided porch brackets that were 500mm wide, 1.2m high and 40mm thick. These were decorated with peacocks, grapes, grape leaves and Tudor roses. This process demanded a lot of concentration and carving on my part. The external carvings were finally completed in July 2012 – two years after I was contacted by harry. My work was done for the moment. The task of assembling the various components of the wagon took several weeks. It was the artistry and meticulousness of the sign writers and pin stripers – Ian Stewart-Koster and his son Andrew- that brought colour to the project.
Internal carvings
Early in 2014, Harry approached me to complete the internal carvings. The carvings around the fireplace were branches of leaves, which totalled about 2.5 metres in length, and were 50-100mm wide, and 12mm thick. There were two larger carvings – one above the door and the other above the bed space, 2m wide by 450mm deep by 12mm thick. These comprised of ivy leaves, roses and fruit. I carved around 1,500 separate carvings in total – both large and small. This challenging project was finally completed both inside and out in November 2014, and was ready for display at the upcoming summer agricultural heavy horse shows. Harry was a happy man!
And what an incredible achievement it was.
One Response
Hello! This is an extremely impressive project. Would it be possible to contact me please, so I can find out if you have any photographs that could be used or commissioned – I’d need to make sure the owner is also happy with any imagery arrangement.
Could we discuss further?