Hastings bus Maidstone & District and timetable memories from Sarah Harvey

supplied by Sarah Harvey

Sarah Harvey… I have just acquired this model, probably more for nostalgia and the fact that I caught a lot of local buses like this when I was a kid. The Leyland Atlantean / Metro Cammell in Maidstone & District livery and displaying the Service No. 151. It was introduced in Hastings in 1961. The 151, alongside the 133 was one of the mainstay bus routes serving Hastings. I have also attached a page from the 1964 bus timetable. Not sure the 31 minutes end to end timings could be maintained nowadays Their rough equivalents to day are the 20 and 22 respectively. If you have lived in Hastings much of your life, did you ever catch one of these?

Peter Fairless… That’s brilliant, Sarah

Martin Richter… the 133 – a ha’penny from Bohemia to the town as a nipper (but usually free!)

Geoff Peckham… Being a Bexhillian I rode the 156 or the 157 to and from school from Glyne Gap. My Nan lived in Turkey Rd where they turned round, so I used them to get there, and of course for trips to Hastings or the College. Well found, Sarah. x

Colin Bell… Oh yes, some fond memories here Sarah x

Tony Court-holmes… i loved Fremlins bitter

Paul Phillips… 151 was that the downs farm bus ..i lived Churchill Avenue 133 route and 157

Andy Gunton… Strangest train I’ve ever seen

Sarah Harvey… Oooo train-spotters / bus spotters, all part of the same family of species

Patrick Lewis… 151 and 133 frequently-our life line to downtown Hastings and St Leonard’s.

Sid Saunders… This was the first bus I drove in service at the start of my 34 years in Hastings in 1972.

Marcus de Mowbray… Many journeys between Sevenoaks and Maidstone on those!

Jim Breeds… The 133 from/to King’s Head near to where I lived was my mainstay, but the 151 was a reasonable substitute if I didn’t mind the walk from Down Farm estate to home.

Nigel Sherwood… Used to get 133 from the gas showrooms up to school at Elphinstone

Roger Carey… Living on the Ridge /edge of town, the main bus for us was the 155 circular route- for school and town trips. Remember seeing 133s on trips to Silverhill where my school mate Philip Till lived. Also the 76 which went down the (to me, then) incredibly long St Helen’s Road. In my very young years I thought the song “76 trombones” was about that bus and road!

Lucy Pappas… used the 128 and the 134, both of them single decker xx

Harry Randall… Used to live in Upper Glen road so caught the 151 either way at the Victoria Inn or walked up or down the hill to catch the 133 I’m so old I go back to the tram days!

John Busbridge… The 151 used to go to town via London Road I think and the 133 the same but via Bohemia road?

Andre Martin… Yes they were both our of Silverhill Depot [old trolley depot] and were basically Council Estate to Council Estate. 151 went via London Road and Memorial,Fishmarket, Harold Road, 133 Cambridge Road Memorial,Queens Road, Mount Pleasant, St Helens Hospt, Churchill Ave or Ore and Down Road. If I remember about every 10 mins in day and 20 mins at night.

Sandra Bryant… much more frequent in those days. My Dad used to drive Atlanteans.

Phil Thornton… I remember the 156 !

Nicola Dobson… My grandfather drove the buses and my uncle too

Chris Meachen… We used to take the mick out of wannabe bikers.. “what bike have you got, M&D 133?” I used to catch that service quite frequently when without my own transport..

Jane Hartley… 133 was my bus home.

John Gale… I remember the 133. Use to catch it from The Fortune of War to town and back, later became the 433. Great photos.

Jeff Chuzz Balcombe… yep both of them the 133 & the 151, used to live in Old Church Road, they was nearly always on time, plus if you missed one you knew you didn’t have to wait too long for the next one.

Mick O’Dowd… When did M& D stop serving Hastings? I also remember East Kent that had single deckers that were more like coaches and very comfortable.

Paul Phillips… yes i remember them Mick had comfy leather seats..service was from town centre to Rye..had bus station on ridge where Alsford Timber is now

Alan Wood… Nice …same bus that came through Robertsbridge but numbered no5, happy days, used to go upstairs with my gran to have a smoke !!

Edward Adams… had a bus garage in Ore where b & q was

Nigel Ford… Rode one for 50 minutes twice a school day for 5 years from Netherfield Hill to Bexhill Grammar, Turkey Road via Sedlescombe / Silverhill progressing from downstairs front to back seat top playing my Ferguson tranny with Radio1 on for the last 3 years to the joy of many. It started from Woods Corner, Dallington, PRIVATE “B”. Similar “A” bus ran from Burwash via Crowhurst, highlight of our days as only contact we had with the girls as schools still separated then.

David Nattress… Well, like Geoff I’m a Bexhillian and do remember the Maidstone and District buses very well and Southdown? so the trolley buses around Bexhill and Hastings – not sure if these were M & D – anyway, one of those things I remember vividly was this. I recall as a young lad taking the family dog down to Bexhill seafront one particular day. It was low tide and the dog decided to eat parts of a starfish or two. For some reason – tiredness/laziness I decided to get the bus back home from the Marina. I sat right near the back, dog on the lead sitting on the entrance bit by the rear door. Suddenly the dog “honked up” the bits of starfish all over the landing floor and just as the conductor came down the stairs and upon seeing the mess threw me and the dog off at the next stop.

Lynn Graham… 151, that’s the bus I used to catch home. Stopped at the Tivoli and I’d walk to Lewis Road from there.

Martin Richter… I remember the 133 had a bizarre route – get on in queen’s rd – up castle street – around the fountain and back down to cambridge road ?

Peter Houghton… I remember the 156 i think it went frim Sidley where i caught it at Springfield to go to the old town down then down sea Rd to Bexhill then back up sea Rd to Hastings

Nick Rowland… I used to live in Lower Maze Hill and often travelled to Hastings Town Centre and back to Christchurch.

Ralph Town… I’d love one. Is it a 1/50 scale or the smaller efe 1/72 scale? I might have had one in the past but can’t remember if it was a 151.

Cliff Wootton… Used to catch the 151 every week for music lessons from Harold Road (near the Clive Vale reservoirs) all the way up to Tower Road school just short of Silverhill.

Nigel Ford… I’ve just won one on ebay for under £8 posted…. EFE 1/76th scale, gonna have to make some PRIVATE B destination signs for it. I’ll get another and give it to my best man and his wife who both were on the bus with me though for only 4 years, though I must seek out some SHEPHERD NEAME side posters for it rather than FREMLINS as he was a regular in the Abbey Hotel, Battle which was a SH/N pub. Oh! ….and I forgot to mention there was rivalry between the A & B buses. If we should ever get close to each other during the journeys (only possible at Battle & from Harley Shute Rd to the school gates) there would be foul chants of 4 letter words and mass pronging of the fingers from us on the top decks…!!!

Daren Terry… Any M&D bus pictures, please

Sid Saunders… I used to drive these buses in Hastings.

John Busbridge… The 151 used to go down London Road along the seafront to the town centre whereas the 133 used to go down Bohemia Road, down Cambridge Road and up Queens Road.

Jane Hartley… 133 was my bus home.

Tony Court-holmes… Fremlins bitter one of the best ales of the 80s

Sue Strong… I used to catch the 133 and 151

Keith Veness… Who remembers the Dengates bus to Rye

Tony Court-holmes… yes

Keith Veness… As a kid I used both the 151 and the 133 I also remember catching the East Kent bus to Pett Level from outside the public covered shelter opposite Woolworths on the seafront

Mark Chawner… Just came across this thread, very interesting. I lived on what was known as the Ashdown Farm Estate, between Harrow Lane & Sedlescombe Rd North. As a lad, I’d get the 155 which went up Ledsham Ave. then onto Harrow Lane, or the various “country” buses that went along Sedlescombe Rd North and Battle Road (I’d walk up from Hollington to home) – numbers I can remember include the 5 & 12,(which both went on to Maidstone), the 84 & 152 (Tunbridge Wells), the 30, and the Dengate buses.. I also used the 133 and 151 buses for getting into and back from “the Memorial”.. Halcyon days!!

Janette Morfey… Caught the 151 every day to the High School on the Ridge. Cost 9p each way. Happy days.x

Keith Holdsworth… 1956 I was at the Down school, there was a “School Special” that went to Sidley at lunchtime and then I had to walk back through Adams wood yard.

Martin Richter… wow! what a lovely model – where did you get it?

Sid Saunders… I used to drive them.

Dave Weeks… And again my bus to school

Linda Boiling…The 151 was the bus I got on, I lived in Clive Vale, it went down Harold Road along the seafront, up London Road and I would get off at the Buchanan Hospital to cross the road to Woodlands Secondary School for Girls , shortly after I left early 70’s it amalgamated with The Grove which used to be an all boys school. My brother used to be a bus driver then. Happy days

Tony Court-holmes… getting the 133 to my nans in Bohemia Road

Eric Harmer… 151 only buss up Harold Road

John Kingdon… Amazing, I remember 133, where did that you from Hollington?

Marcus de Mowbray… I lived in Maidstone when the Fremlins brewery was still there and active. Tusker was my favourite of their beers. Many journeys on M&D Atlanteans.

Peter Millington… Back in 1961 I caught the 133 and the 76 which I think did the circular route – memorial – seafront – London Rd – Silverhill – Sedlescombe Rd North – St Helens Rd – Queens Road- Back to the Memorial. Another 76 went in the same route in the opposite direction. Those new busses were great and so silent. However, we The Confederates, used to go to gigs on busses with the kit being put under the stairs at the back of the old buses with the open rear platform. As soon as the new busses arrived we had to make alternative arrangements Life was tough for wandering minstrels back in the day lol

Sid Saunders… Pete, The 76 went clockwise and the 76A went anticlockwise on the circular route.

Andre Martin… 75 route was from Hastings Cemetery, via Memoral, London Road, Wishing Tree and return and then some would continue to Crowhurst. Nice run in warm weather. Natives usually friendly.

Peter Millington… Andre, My bus to school in 1958/9 before moving to the West Hill. Then had to cycle to the Grove and back every day.

Nicola Dobson… It was the 76 bus that we used to catch to the town from The Green

Andre Martin… You could have caught the 74 OMB that went from the Green, down Filsham Road, West Hill, Seafront, Memorial and then up Castle Street and Manor Road, not sure where it went from that point, It might have terminated and returned back to The Green. First bus I ever worked on in Summer 1965 when they put crews rather than One Man Buses.

Barry French… I was living along Westfield Lane (Late 60s early 70s) I also remember the number 30 M&D Bus & the Dengates Buses. Both would went direct to Tesco (The building now occupied by Pound Stretchers) My Mum would catch the bus, do a bit of shopping at Tesco, & on the return journey both the M&D & Dengates drivers would often stop right outside our house to save Mum walking down the lane with the shopping . Door to door service!!!

Lynn Graham… The 151 used to be the one I caught to go home to Hollington.

Peter Ellingworth… Lived off Battle Rd. at the time- town routes 133 and 151, or either 155 to top of Old Harrow Rd. or 76 to Sedlescombe Rd./St Helens Rd. 133 was replacement for no 6 trolleybus route, the 151 for route 11.
One of the few good things that came of the t-bus replacements, the 133 and 151 were extended to include the council estates at Hollington and Ore although this was on the cards anyway, had the t-buses been kept.
Anybody remember the special low roof versions for clearing the railway bridge at West Marina?

Peter Ellingworth… Excellent and informative lead article Sarah, and most interesting detailed replies. Am I right in thinking the 151 numbering along with the 133 was introduced at the finish of trolleybus operations in May/ start of June 1959, and not from 1961? The new numbers I assume were such so as to be integrated in the bigger scheme of M&D routes. If I remember correctly the first Atlanteans arrived in Hastings in Jan ’59 initially for crew training and familiarisation purposes, being gradually introduced for public service until fully taking over from Monday June 1st ’59. Old t-bus route nos. were displayed in the interim. The full delivery was delayed due to technical and production issues, as M&D originally hoped to finish the t-buses by Dec ’58. I believe Hastings was one of the first in the UK to have the then novel Atlanteans, at least certainly in the numbers they did, with special low bridge versions for routes 156/157 which replaced t-bus route 8. Interestingly during the last day of public trolley bus operation on Sun 31st May ’59 from early afternoon onwards the Atlanteans were withdrawn from service, and it was a full t-bus service only. An eleventh hour last hurrah? If anybody is interested there has been a reprint of the Hastings Tramways Company trolleybus timetable for 1954 which can still be bought- I got mine at a bus rally in Amersham if I remember right. I can bring it along to the next meet which I hope to attend. It would be interesting to have an M&D timetable as well. M&D as we know finished in 1998, being absorbed into Arriva Southern Counties. I much preferred the somber cream and green livery to some of the bland colours that followed over the years.
Sid – didn’t you end up as an inspector, or am I in old age getting mixed up?

Peter Ellingworth… Following on, perhaps our former M&D folk can add more details on this :
I remember shortly after moving away from Hastings in the late ‘sixties reading in the ‘Observer’ (when it was still the local heavy weight paper- remember the stern editorials ” Round The Memorial by Vigilant ” ? ), of a 151 service Atlantean losing its brakes while coming down Clive Vale, with both the driver and conductor being commended from upon high for bringing the fully loaded bus under control and stopping it safely.

Sid Saunders… Yes Peter, I was the Inspector at the Hastings depot until it closed then became depot Inspector at Silverhill Hill depot. All told 34 years on the buses. I was the only Inspector who would drive a bus if a driver failed to turn up for duty at the time.