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John Gibbs quickly realised that he could specialise in equipment for the expanding fruit and vegetable industry. One of his innovations was a lightweight cart for transporting strawberries. It was important that the fruit should arrive at market fresh, with the morning dew still on them. His Strawberry Van, pulled by trotting ponies, made the journey in record time.
The load was then pulled to the road by horses and taken to the grower’s yard by steam engine. Here they were watered by hose to keep them fresh and taken to Covent Garden early next morning in wagons pulled by horses for speed.
Cos lettuce being loaded on to Gibbs built wagons at Wild and Robbins farm, Sipson, Middlesex.
The van in the photograph was owned by A. Wyatt from Hatton, Middlesex and was built by Gibbs.
The founder of the business, John Gibbs was born in Chalfont, Bucks in 1792. He began his working life in Cowley, Middlesex and then in 1844 he started his own business in Bedfont as a wheelwright and blacksmith. It is likely that he chose this area to start a business of this type due to the large number of vegetable and fruit growers who needed transport to take their produce to the London markets.