Thought to be an early 20th-century example of the highly decorated, horse-drawn vardos built by the Romani people, the caravan had retained many of its original features but was in need of some attention. Luckily, Kit knew just who to ask: her longtime photographer and fellow wagon enthusiast, Simon Brown. ‘We had bonded over our love of gypsy caravans and he put me in touch with Gary Wallace,’ says Kit, referring to the specialist builder and restorer who owns The Dorset Wagon Co. ‘Gary is great because he looks up the history of the van, which makes it so fascinating, and takes it back to how it would have been.’ In the case of Kit’s caravan, this meant restoring and protecting the softwood structure (which is vulnerable to rot) and the canvas roof, and bringing the original red-and-yellow paintwork back to life. ‘The only thing he added was “Kemp Family”, which he wrote on the back where the hay would have been kept for the horses,’ adds Kit. In what could be described as a full-circle moment, it was Simon who photographed the restored wagon for her new book, Kit Kemp: Design Stories, which was published by Rizzoli earlier this month.
Gary Wallace added the family name to the back of the caravan.
Simon Brown
Unlike the houses and hotels featured in her monograph, the interiors of the caravan were not Kit’s work – but that’s exactly why she loves it. ‘It was all about renovating and revelling in the joy of how it should be,’ she explains. It still has its wood-burning stove – which Kit has never dared light for fear that the whole wagon will go up in flames – and the same patterned carpet and lace curtains that were in place when she rescued it. There have been just two small interventions: the wooden benches have been reupholstered in a striped fabric that Kit had to hand, which looks perfectly in keeping with the original interior, and the bed has been fitted with a made-to-measure mattress and covered with a patchwork quilt. This is now a favourite spot of Kit’s granddaughter Clemmie, who loves nothing more than a caravan sleepover. ‘It’s the perfect size for her and her friends to sleep in head-to-toe,’ adds Kit. ‘They’re near enough to home but they’re in their own little world, and as a child, I think that’s really important for the imagination.’
The interior of the caravan remains pretty much as it was when Kit rescued it a decade ago.
Simon Brown
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