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A wheel made by Gibbs wheelwrights and used on a Gibbs built strawberry van found a new life as the centrepiece for exhibits at shows. In 1953 it was used by the National Farmers Union (NFU) for their award winning display. Later it was used in a Gold Medal winning display at the Chelsea Flower Show depicting 150 years of the firm’s association with the growing and transportation of farm produce. The wheel is now displayed within the Gibbs display at the Rural Life Centre.
The firm’s reputation led to their regular attendance at both local agricultural shows and national shows where they exhibited every year from 1926-1997.
The flag poles and name panel on the show caravan folded down for travelling and could be reversed showing the name Coles or Gibbs depending on the venue of the show.
The caravan, which acted as a sales office at shows, was built by the body builders in Gibbs workshop on a war surplus bomb trailer chassis. As you can see from the photographs the caravan style changed over the year; it was a prominent feature at national and local shows.
