The caravan has been donated to the museum by the Birch family of Bidford on Avon and has been lovingly restored by Bill Birch over a number of years. Bill has recently passed away and in his memory his family were seeking a permanent home for the vehicle, thankfully they contacted the Museum who was very pleased to be able to offer it a home.

This particular type of Gypsy caravan is known as a "Burton" wagon. The museum already has a basic Burton caravan in its collection but the new one is different - it is much bigger, it has two sets of windows and it was used by a travelling showman's family and so is highly decorative.

Steve Smith, Museum Technician, and his team of workshop volunteers, collected the new Burton in November and it is now on show in the Museum's 'Travel & Transport' gallery where it is proving very popular with visitors.

Speaking about the new acquisition, Rachel Robinson, Hartlebury Property Manager for Worcestershire County Council said: "We were very excited about being asked to take on the Caravan, it adds another element to our already varied collection. It obviously meant a lot to the family and had been kept in superb condition."

The County Museum holds one of the most varied collections of Gypsy caravans on display anywhere in the country. The current display shows nine Gypsy caravans, or 'vardos' as they are also known, including designs such as the Bow Top, the Square Bow, the Open Lot and the Ledge. Also on display is the 'Gypsy Queen' caravan, made by Dunton and Son of Reading, which is the most elaborately decorated caravan at the museum.

As well as seeing these beautiful vehicles on display visitors can also listen to audio guides about the caravans which explain their history, and learn more about Gypsy life and culture including which Gypsy words have become part of everyday language.

Also in the Transport display visitors can see horse drawn carriages, farm vehicles, a fire engine, a hearse, an ambulance, bicycles and other types of transport. And of course this is only one area of the museum - there is much more to explore inside the Castle itself.