Dreams of the Road

Travelling gypsies have been a distinctive feature of south-west England for hundreds of years. Distinctive ‘vardos’ (wagons) rattled along the roads of Devon and Somerset, their occupants hawking their goods and skills, speaking in their own languages – Shelta, Gammon, Cant and Anglo-Romani, and constructing a strong oral storytelling culture. Currently, gypsies find themselves at a crossroads. Legislation restricting travel, a shortage of official sites and the loss of their traditional stopping places has led to the threat of centuries-old nomadic patterns. Over the past few decades, increasing numbers of gypsies have been forced to give up the road. The challenge for gypsies today is how to retain a separate culture and lifestyle when the foundations underpinning their distinctive existence have been removed. “We Dream of the Road” goes some way in preserving this rich culture, collecting together memories, anecdotes, the fears and the hopes of older gypsies living in the South-west of England.