George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces: Bertie Blue Camper

WORDS George Clark and Jane Field-Lewis PHOTOS Richard Maxted

Following their two disastrous camping trips, Jay and Jonathan were chastened but not beaten. They hadn’t lost their adventurous spirit; it was a case of how to deal with unpredictable and disruptive weather to prevent it from spoiling their family holidays.

They agreed that nurturing a sense of adventure and making enduring memories are what it’s all about. The words “camper van” entered their conversations and they started talking about buying one. Jay got fired up and hit some online auction sites to do some research.

She freely admits that she only “stopped on the pretty ones and ignored the dull ones. The whole point of a camper van is to go out and have an adventure.” The choice came down to a decision between fun versus practical, and, of course, fun won out.

A pretty 1969 British Motor Company ambulance in good running order came up. It was for sale locally, so she went on her own to have a look at it. The exterior had already been restored, but although the interior had been stripped out, the original stretchers and medical equipment were still stuffed into the back and it was a mess. Her first reaction was to go straight home, but after talking to its tattooed owner for 30 minutes she knew she had to have it, and this was before she had even heard the engine running.

With Jonathan’s backing, she bid and won the auction at £2, 801. Thankfully, the old ambulance started up first time when they went to pick it up and they made it home in one piece.

THE REFURBISHMENT

The next step was to get an MOT certificate, but making it roadworthy meant a painful £1, 000 worth of repairs. They employed local companies to do the repairs and work involved in converting the old ambulance into a camper van that would sleep all of them. The welding and metalwork were carried out by CWD welding, while Awesome, a company based in Cambridge, tackled the interior.

They found Rob Kitchen, a mechanic who works exclusively on classic cars, and he used his skills and expertise to get Bertie up and running well. The old ambulance, in the way of many an old caravan or camper van, was given a name and christened “Bertie Blue”.

THE DESIGN

The aim was to restore the exterior and to retain its original features if possible. To achieve this, they worked closely with Awesome, which was refurbishing the interior. Their brief was simply “to match and blend it with the outside”. Jay says that the Awesome folk were good listeners but had great ideas of their own as well. “They would ask me a question, skilfully and subtly pushing me in the right direction, then giving me the credit for it. The great thing is that they were always right.” The interior layout was designed by Jay, who drew the outline of the space on the kitchen floor in chalk and then nearly burst into tears when she discovered how small it was – only 9 x 6ft. And to compound the potential problem it’s only 1.7m (5ft 5in) high and Jonathan is a lofty 1.93m (6ft 4in). After the chalk came the arranging of boxes and cushions to simulate the space.

This worked better, but Jay knew it was time to get the squared paper and ruler out. She had no design experience but she was determined to get it right.

She had never thought of herself as a naturally creative person but this project helped her to realise that she had been harbouring hidden talents. She wasn’t frightened to get out there and ask for help, and many hours were spent on camper-van forums asking questions. She was willing to roll up her sleeves to help but her biggest role was co-ordinating everything with the people that were doing the work, from the welders to the upholsterers to the mechanics.

INGENIOUS MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY

A sliding, partially glazed door divides the driver’s cab from the back of the van. The space can be reconfigured from “travelling” to “living” to “sleeping” mode. When travelling there are two front-facing and two back-facing seats in the main van, and two in the driver’s cab (all with seat belts).

In daytime eating mode, the seats can be extended by pulling out a metal frame beneath them and adding a wooden base and additional cushions to create two rows of bench seating; the table also extends to a full width; this whole arrangement easily seats six.

In lounging mode, the seats transform into a U-shaped sofa. In sleeping mode, the facing chairs pull out and extend to become two single beds. Behind the window blinds are hidden roll-up hammocks. Simple cotton slings stretched between steel poles hook out from the walls and fix to steel vertical poles that extend from the chair backs. The steel-welded frame in the chair backs and seats are welded to the chassis to provide sufficient anchorage and fixing points for the fibreglass ambulance structure. An additional middle section allows the two singles to join up into a large double bed. The two wooden kitchen units transform into a double bed at the back by a wooden slatted infill, and camping mattress.

And when friends and family come to join the family an additional Bell tent is pitched to provide extra accommodation. Now fixed and fully fitted out, Jay and Jon love travelling in Bertie at his stately 18mph (29kph), although this means he is better suited to short journeys. They primarily use him for weekends away, finding places to stay and enjoying nature.

This is an excerpt from George Clarke’s More Amazing Spaces by George Clarke and Jane Field-Lewis (published by Quadrille Publishing, distributed by Pan Macmillan South Africa). Catch season 2 of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174). For more information about the show, visit channel4.com. The book is available at all leading bookstores.