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Bailey of Bristol is a manufacturer of leisure vehicles in the UK, making touring caravans, motorhomes and campervans.
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| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 in Bristol, United Kingdom |
| Founder | Martin Bailey |
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, Turkey, New Zealand and South Korea |
| Products | Caravans, motorhomes and campervans |
Number of employees | 650 |
| Website | www |
Bailey of Bristol was founded in 1948 in Bristol.[1] The company's main manufacturing plant is based at South Liberty Lane in South Bristol and it also has a Large Panel Laminating Plant in Clevedon, North Somerset which produces the caravan and motorhome body shell panels. In addition, it has a subsidiary business, PRIMA Leisure, located in North Bristol, which supplies parts for Bailey leisure vehicles as well as general outdoor leisure accessories.
History edit
Company beginning (1948) edit
Bailey of Bristol was founded by Martin Bailey, who built the first Bailey caravan in his South Bristol garage in 1947, going on to sell it at Ashton Gate market for £200.
A year later in 1948, F.G Bailey Ltd was formed and went into production. After the Second World War, caravan popularity grew massively with holidaymakers, and was also used as a form of temporary accommodation both during and after wartime.[2] Bailey responded by creating a range of models, from the small tourers like the Minor and the Maritza to the Maison – an 18 ft. caravan designed to provide accommodation during the housing shortage.
1950-2000 edit
The company developed rapidly throughout the 1950s and soon outgrew its original site on Bedminster Road. At the end of the decade, it moved to South Liberty Lane where it still operates from today.
In 1977, Patrick and Stephen Howard purchased the company and Bailey has remained in Howard family ownership up to the present day.
By the early 1980s, Bailey had purchased the sections of industrial land either side of the original South Liberty Lane site. This combined with advances in manufacturing techniques and design technology, meant they were able to significantly increase caravan production volumes during this period.
During the 1980s the company began producing the Pageant and Senator ranges which remained in its caravan model line up for over 25 years.
2000-2023 edit
During the recession of the mid-2000s, Bailey tackled the financial climate by continuing to acquire more land for its production facility and focusing on product diversification.
In 2009 Bailey introduced the Pegasus caravan range which was the first of its products to feature the new Alu-Tech body shell construction. All ranges introduced after this have been built using the same technology.
Two years later in 2011, the first Bailey motorhome was launched – the Approach SE. Using the same award-winning design principals as Bailey caravans, this range established Bailey within the motorhome market.
In 2012 as part of her Diamond Jubilee Tour, Her Late Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by Duke of Edinburgh visited Bailey of Bristol and toured the factory.[3] This year was also Bailey of Bristol's 65th anniversary.
In 2016, Bailey Parts & Accessories registered as a separate company and moved from the South Liberty Lane site to its own premises just off of the M4/M5 Interchange in North Bristol. In 2019, Bailey Parts & Accessories changed its name to PRIMA Leisure offering parts & accessories to all caravans & motorhome owners through an online web site.
In the same year, Bailey opened its new Replenishment Centre on the South Liberty Lane site. This building houses all the parts and materials needed on site to manufacture Bailey caravans and motorhomes. The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, opened the Replenishment Centre in October 2016.
The final change to the business during this period also came in 2016 with the opening of Bailey's Large Panel Laminating Plant at Clevedon. Here the caravan and motorhome floors, ceiling and side panels are produced and delivered to the main site in Bristol, 12 miles away, on a daily basis. Moving this part of the operation to a separate location freed up more space at South Liberty Lane to increase manufacturing capacity there.
In 2023, Bailey celebrated its 75th Anniversary, as well as launching its first campervan range, Endeavour.
References edit
- ^ "BBC News - Why more Brits are buying caravans". BBC News. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Caravans and the Second World War". The Caravan Club. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "BBC News - Queen and Prince Philip visit Bristol caravan firm". BBC News.