Bill Wright of Rothwell Haigh, Samuel Dunton of Reading, George Orton and J.Spooner of Burton upon Trent, Thomas Tong of Kearsley, H.E.Jones of Hereford, George Cox of Hereford, Walter Watts of Bridgwater, William Wheeler of Guildford,
F.J.Thomas of Chertsey, Thomas of Gloucester, Stubbs of Barrowden, Fuller of St Ives, C.H.King of Wisbech, Godbolt of Norwich, Elias Leonard of Soham, Albert & Theodore Fry of the Bristol Waggon and Carriage Works, W.Watson of Belpher,
Herbert Varney of Belpher, Hallard Howcroft of Hartlepool, Fred Hill of Swineflleet, Uriah Hurst of Woodlesford, R.W.Hodgson of Halifax, John Hardman of the Radcliffe Waggon Works
Welcome to
'Paint your Waggon'
A Restoration in Remembrance
In Memory of
Steven Bate
July 1955 - August 2019
'Jasa o Buddhaengero me tatcho mal ta atch konyo'
Julian Pine
September 1999 - March 2023
'Rest in Peace my true friend, I will miss you always'
Follow the restoration of arguably the oldest, original Romany Kite waggon in existence, in the UK today. Believed to have been built by Fuller of St Ives, Cambridgeshire circa 1870
© Ange Davies 2019
Pre-restoration December 2019
© Ange Davies 2024
Progress up to December 2024
A restoration inspired by the 'can do' and determined attitude of Steve and more recently buoyed by the enthusiasm and optimism of Julian.
I was incredibly lucky to have known them
Click to See
LATEST IMAGES
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© Ange Davies 2014
Steven Bate in one of his waggons
In 2020 I began the restoration of my Romany Kite wagon, in memory of one of my closest and dearest friends, Steven Bate, who passed away August 2019 from a devastating and terminal illness - Motor Neurone Disease.
A larger than life character whose determination and 'can do' attitude was a constant inspiration to all and whose belief in my abilities, encouraged me to push myself creatively. He introduced me to the waggon world, passing down his many skills. His loss is still greatly felt everyday; My boss, my mentor, my friend.
Myself and Steve with the Fuller of St Ives waggon
December 2022 saw me joined in my restoration endeavours by Julian Pine, an extraordinary young man whom I had met back in July and who had become in that short space of time one of my best friends. He loved the ethos behind this project and I was only too happy to accept his help when offered, in whatever way, shape or form it took, having worked mainly solo since 2020. He openly admitted he knew nothing about this type of work but his enthusiasm was infectious along with his laugh and unwavering optimism.
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It was with the heaviest of hearts that I had to say a final goodbye to Julian when he passed away in March 2023 - leaving me with another heartfelt reason to continue and finish restoring this waggon.
I do so now in his memory too.
© Ange Davies 2023
Julian Pine with the Fuller of St Ives waggon
Also a restoration in support of MNDA - Motor Neurone Disease Association;
to raise awareness and funds for this cruel & terminal illness
It would be great to have your support along the way and any donations you can make to the MND Association would be much appreciated. There is no cure yet, but your funds will help immensely towards the much needed research required and also improve care and support for those who are diagnosed and their families.
Thank you for visiting the site and I hope you enjoy following the Fuller restoration.
Please donate if you are able and once again thanks for your support
© Ellie 2020