Buses in Nottingham

[Wheels 2]

The bus canteen was on the opposite side of Huntingdon Street to the bus station and on the north side of Kent street, with the Central Market on the south side. Driving into the north section of the bus station, which is where the 84 parked the driver would slow down to let the conductor jump off and go into the canteen and 'get the teas in'. The driver would park stop the engine and then follow the conductor in. There was another cafe at the north end of the platforms where the proprietor poured a small amount of tar-like tea from a large pot, and then top it up with boiling water to make a drinkable cuppa.

[Commo 1,292]

Hi Wheels, welcome to The Forum, it's good to hear from another antipodean!

Mrs Commo trvelled on the Trent 84 from Sutton every day and sagely nodded her head confirming your memory of the skpping conductors.

Keep your memories coming in, there's plenty on here to remind you.

[.... 23]

Maybe the ladies in Nottingham should all start using National Express?

Friendly service

[colly0410 1,181]

I remember when I was a kid in the Meadows: I'd go on Arkwright St & stop any bus then leg it, great fun. One day there was a knock at the door, an irate bus driver stood there & told Mam what I'd done & she gave me a good hiding while he watched. He went away happy.......When we'd moved to Bestwood Village, my mate & I used to climb in the boot of the Makemsons bus & have a free ride to Bulwell & back. One day instead of coming back to Bestwood it went to the garage on Highbury Vale. We had to walk all the way back. That taught us a lesson.

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

Reg Varney used to do that all the time.

[denshaw 2,871]

It can get lonely at the outer terminus.

[poohbear 1,360]

A fine actor...made a good living out of pulling a silly face and saying 'Doh!' Thirty years on and he joined the cast of Summer Wine....pulling a silly face and saying 'Doh!'....Can't be bad...

[bamber 128]

I remember seeing Bob Grant in the Vic Centre many moons ago. He, his missus and their pink poodle looked like they went to the same beauty parlour.

I'm afraid life was none too kind to the man after OTB.

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

A amazing collection of 306 (so far) photos of buses in Nottingham, some going back a long time. The lady responsible for this also has a large number of other photos which might interest Nottstalgia people. When you've looked at the buses, click on "Sets" above the Flickr logo at top left.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsiU3Bk1A

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

That seemed to go down pretty well

If anybody were to ask me (which they haven't) for my favourites among that lot, I'd have to nominate two.

This, because it's a great street scene at a not-too-photographed location. And a nice Standard Vanguard and Ford Pop/Anglia.

http://flic.kr/p/4cr8Ja

And this, because these had style. http://flic.kr/p/7bpjfF

[Limey 242]

And this, because these had style.

But, if I remember correctly, the sliding door would invariably be stuck in the open position - making winter trips a tad on the "cool" side! (Better if you went upstairs!)

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Here's a couple of my photos:

469 parked at Huntingdon Street in the late 1960s

474, I think at Broad Marsh, sometime in the eatrly 1970s

I don't think I travelled on one, but imagine them being rather cramped - especially if you were going all the way to Skegness, which service they were used on at one time.

[ChrisB 150]

On Barton double deckers, you could smoke on both the upper and lower decks!

[StephenFord 866]

I travelled on many of them in the mid 50s. When we first moved to Sawley in 1954 they monopolised the Nottingham - Derby service (5, 5B, 5X) and were very common on the 15 Thoresby Road - Long Eaton - Sandiacre - Stapleford - Ilkeston, which is just about the same route as the present Trent/Barton "My15".

Merthyr Imp, are you sure about the location of the first shot (469)? I might be totally up the spout, but I would have guessed this was round the back of Chilwell garage. (In addition the 24 wasn't a Huntingdon Street route - I think it was either Stathern or Long Clawson, which I'm pretty sure both started from Broad Marsh).

[ChrisB 150]

It is most definitely Huntingdon Street, it's the parking area in the top far corner with the strange lodge type building just visible on the extreme right.

I'm interested in the lower picture. Did the broken brick wall face Canal Street? and were the buses parked in a sort of dead end?

It looks like the time when Carrington Street was being cleared. I'd be very glad to see any more because I'm interested in the time when Broad Marsh was being re-developed.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Merthyr Imp, are you sure about the location of the first shot (469)? I might be totally up the spout, but I would have guessed this was round the back of Chilwell garage. (In addition the 24 wasn't a Huntingdon Street route - I think it was either Stathern or Long Clawson, which I'm pretty sure both started from Broad Marsh).

No - it was definitely Huntingdon Street. Below is a photo of Barton AEC Reliance no. 934 (with home made lower front end) taken at almost the same spot but from slightly further back.

And the photo below is from further back still. A Red & White Motor Services Bristol RE. What that was doing in Nottingham I don't know - possibly on an Associated Motorways service, but it was VERY rare to see a Red & White in Nottingham (they were a South Wales company).

You'll see the little church/chapel in the background - part of it can just be made out in the photo of 469 (along with the tree).

A good many photos have been taken in that spot - it features in many of those by G. H. F. Atkins which appear in several books.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

I'm interested in the lower picture. Did the broken brick wall face Canal Street? and were the buses parked in a sort of dead end?

It looks like the time when Carrington Street was being cleared. I'd be very glad to see any more because I'm interested in the time when Broad Marsh was being re-developed.

I'm not sure just how it was oriented (forgotten!). You could be right. All I can say is that it was at the time when the original semi-circular layout of Broad Marsh bus station had been replaced for a few years by the 'straight' version next to the viaduct as seen in this photo of Barton's Bedford VAL no 989. This is the type of vehicle, of course that featured in 'The Italian Job'. Not many were built.

[StephenFord 866]

OK, i was up the spout, and stand corrected.

As you say, Red & White were as rare as hen's teeth in Nottingham. I also would reckon it was a duplicate to the Black & White Cheltenham - Nottingham run.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

What do you call the "transport" that takes women to the maternity hospital?

A Blunderbuss.

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

I'm interested in the lower picture. Did the broken brick wall face Canal Street? and were the buses parked in a sort of dead end?

It looks like the time when Carrington Street was being cleared. I'd be very glad to see any more because I'm interested in the time when Broad Marsh was being re-developed.

Yes the layout of the old Broad Marsh bus station did change for a few years in the late 60s/early 70s.

The horseshoe-shaped version existed until around 69 when the redevelopment of the whole Broad Marsh area started. That resulted in the flattening and clearance of the area previously occupied by the bus station. So for a couple of years it was replaced by the two-parallel-lines version which was certainly operating in the early 70s. That lasted until the Broad Marsh Centre was finished - including its bus station - and then the buses moved into the building still in use now.

I remember it because I lived at Clifton all that time, and was using all variations of the bus station through the 60s and 70s.

[Commo 1,292]

The Lodge building at the top side/ corner in Huntingdon Street station was originally in use as a Police lodge, effectively a police house and office, though I reckon it had fallen out of use by the early 50's, although as I have admitted many times before, the memory is not quite what it was, and distance in time does tend to warp the memories !!

Anyone know when it ceased to be in use by the local constabulary?

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

A bit of a partial answer to Commo's question http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM015691&prevUrl=

[Commo 1,292]

Many thanks for that Cliff, always sad to see buildings which were part of your youth in that state.

Didn't remember it was called Lammas Lodge, but the footpath between Curzon Street and Hunto was known as "The Lammas"

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Here's another photo of Broad Marsh as it existed at that time. I can date this to the first half of 1970, as NCT Leyland Atlantean no. 527 was new that year, and I changed from my Instamatic to a 'proper' camera in the July.

[nnsc 131]

Here's another photo of Broad Marsh as it existed at that time. I can date this to the first half of 1970, as NCT Leyland Atlantean no. 527 was new that year, and I changed from my Instamatic to a 'proper' camera in the July.

I don't think that style of bus would look out of place today.