We had very many happy holidays in Aunty Mary's caravan at Portishead when I was a small child. Of course, this caravan was nowhere as luxurious as the caravans you get today.
For one thing you didn't have electric light but gas light mantles with glass covers. These mantles were made from fine cotton gauze and when you switched the gas on and put a flame to the mantle it would light up just like an electric bulb, although you always had a gassy smell.
The facilities were very basic also, no running water or indoor toilets. You had to collect the water from a standpipe and for washing or going to the loo you had to use the sites facilities.
The sleeping arrangements were also very basic, you had to dismantle the table and lay this between to two seats either side, bringing down the cushions from these seats to cover the base to make up a double bed.
Of course, like today, you still had to provide your own bed linen. Above the seating area was a ledge with a mattress on and this is where we children slept. We didn't mind how rough it was because we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
