Category Archives: wood

Boulton & Paul in Devon

Here we are at Peppercombe, on the north Devon coast, looking at this half-timbered style bungalow with its fabulous view. The postcard must date from the late 1920s onward, as the bungalow – itself bought c1900 from Boulton & Paul of Norwich – was originally sited on another part of the estate, where it was used as a boathouse and picnic venue. In 1926 it was moved to its present location, across some pretty rough ground, and later extended. Apart from a low fence round the site, it barely looks different now; it is a holiday let – Castle Bungalow – run by the Landmark Trust. It is also one of the oldest portable bungalows left in Devon, from the many that were erected, as most have been demolished or improved beyond recognition.

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A wooden bungalow

Although tin tabernacles get all the publicity, portable buildings can be manufactured from wood, or even reinforced paper, and all types of cladding panels (to summarise). This turn-of-the-century postcard shows a wooden bungalow made by a French prefabrication firm, Gustave Carde et Fils, founded 1860 in Bordeaux. The best known of the British carpentry-based portable building firms were Boulton & Paul of Norwich, and Speirs of Glasgow.

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