The Gibbons family ran a threshing contractor business out of the ‘Gibbons Yard’, behind their family home in Castor, Peterborough. The business was latterly run by Harry Gibbons until his death at age 49 in 1910. Eliza, Harry’s wife, then took the reins until her death in 1936, aged 77. It was then down to their youngest son of 12, Gilbert, aged 36, to take over. He was reluctant, but the most suitable candidate. The premises of the house and the yard were hired from the Earl of Fitzwillam, Milton Hall Estates until purchased by Gilbert Gibbons in 1950.
At its height, the business utilised 12 traction engines at any one time, and various other threshing equipment. In fact it’s said that 40 different traction engines passed through the business as well as a few internal combustion tractors. But this story is about the living van that was built by the famous Gibbons boys, built using a burnt-out threshing drum, in circa 1900.
When the van was not in use on the farms, it was parked down
