buses

Buses Wellington Square – early 1950’s. Supplied by Leigh Kennedy

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All supplied by Leigh Kennedy. From facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicalhastings/

Leigh Kennedy… Two further views of Wellington Square, this time looking up Castle Hill Road. Judging by the clothing and the cars I’m going to say early 1950s ? In the background of both photos is No14 Castle Hill Road, used for 50 years between 1899 & 1949 as the offices of the Argus Newspaper.

Alan Esdaile… What was the name of the drinking club upstairs, about next to the newsagent sign? My dad used to go in there

Roger Simmonds… What happy times !

Peter Ellingworth… Definitely around early 50’s. My grandmother lived in one of the flats between Wellington Square and Castle Hill Passage I think it is. M&D buses : anybody remember where route 12 used to go -Tenterden / Maidstone ? Hastings Corporation were going to build a dedicated bus station dating back to pre war days, but this only came about when Hastings Station was rebuilt.

Peter Ellingworth… Following on, I’ve just had a look around the web and there is a very interesting website ‘The Transport Library’.

https://www.thetransportlibrary.co.uk/

-which features photos many in colour, and very good quality, of a lot of Hastings bus services and the town itself from the ‘50s to ‘90’s.
If the link above doesn’t work, just type in The Transport Library- Maidstone and District – Hastings. There were also some very clear Hastings trolley bus photos in black and white taken in by Derek Giles in 1950, some of which I hadn’t seen before. Am I right in saying M&D route 12 shown in the photo above went from Hastings to Tenterden, via Sedlescombe -Northiam and return ?

Paul Morfey… yes! The mud and dust no 12 as we called it went from Hastings to Tenterden via Sedlescombe and Northiam. I worked as an apprentice electrician for Farley Paines from the basement of no.1 Wellington Square and caught the bus home from there to Northiam every night.

 

 

Hastings bus Maidstone & District and timetable memories from Sarah Harvey

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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!

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Woolworth Hastings – 1950’s

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photo shared from…https://www.facebook.com/hastingsmuseum/

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery… We have a double throwback today – who misses Woolies and is that an old route master bus as well? We think this photo dates to the 1950s.

Peter Fairless… Before Woolworth’s had a remake. Anyone know when that was?

Lloyd Johnson… What no Dengates?…linen jackets,Benny Hill caps, leather money pouches and separate tickets on a wooden sprung block of wood….I Loved the cream and green Dengate buses a total throwback to the 1920s /30s….and still running in the early 60s..

Sid Saunders… Not a Routemaster bus, they only operated in London.

Sarah Harvey… Agreed. Looks like a Bristol K6A

Jacqueline Marsh… My mum worked at that woolies

Sarah Harvey… I know, My mum and I bought a Helen Shapiro single there and Aunt Phil served us 🙂 xx

Lynda Whatley… and Aunt Nell was a supervisor there-

John Gale…Never seen that photo before,,, loved Dimarco’s. A great place to go on a Sunday afternoon between Sunday lunch time closing and evening opening times for the pubs, saved going home,. Made alot of friends in there, can’t imagine that happening in McDonald’s so much

Mick O’Dowd… Is that a bank next door. If so which one?

Jim Breeds… The Ministry of Food, I think.

Mick O’Dowd… Where was the silly walks one located Jim?

Gary Benton… When I was in the fire service the basement of woolworths was always know as a firefighters worst nightmare, its like a rabbit warren. We would often say to each other “see you under Woolworths”

Jon McCallion… I have run round the corner many times when I did a paper round from the shop just up from there in Castle Street, Wish it was like it now compared to this we have a complete mess in our town centre

Nicola Dobson… Yes I used to get them snd my grandfather snd uncle were bus drivers

Tony Davis… I’m currently trying to get photos of Hastings in the 60s and 70s for a book I’m having a go at writing. Particularly interested in the Town centre and George Street. Can anybody help please

Andy Davies… Does anyone know who ran the sweet shop? My Granddad used to have a shop around there but as I never saw it, I don’t know. His surname was Horsfall.

Andre Martin… Routemaster buses were London Transport, what you have in shot is a Maidstone & District, possibly a Layland rear loader, with the driver stuck in a small cabin under the top deck and over the front RH wheel, I was told these were cramped and had no heating – just right for the country routes. Good image of the Town Centre, before the planners decided to make unnecessary changes.

Richard J Porter… No heating but a 7 litre + diesel to keep you company under your left elbow.

Bernard Goffredo… There was a Hotel behind the bus, I remember going there with my dad to pick up his drumkit after he had done a gig the night before

Alan Esdaile.. Castle Hotel.

Nigel Ford… I used to catch a SOUTHDOWN version back from Mountfield school to Virgins Lane Battle in the early to mid 60s.

Peter Ellingworth… Red LT RT buses ( Regent Three, a pre-war design) did work into Hastings, but only in transit bringing Sarf Londoners down for day trips in the ’50’s-early 60’s. Remember seeing them parked up in The Stade /Rock a Nore coach/car parks anybody ? I think they were working from New Cross, Catford or Sidcup garages, and the last public RT workings were from Barking until well into 1979. Good solid bus, with pre-selector gear boxes, but no power steering. Ouch ! Some were the wider bodied version known as RTW’s, and were sold on to Sri Lanka and Canada for further use. Regarding the photo : hard to pin down an exact date, but notice the trolleybus wires still in situ, also the wall mounted rosette for the span wires dating from tramway days to the left of the drain pipe above Dimarcos, (if you know where to look some still around the town) so this would date it autumn ’59 at the most, as the trolley buses finished public service at end of play Sunday 31st May 59, and the sea front and town centre wiring was the first to be dismantled fairly soon after. Regarding the bus parked up, I would think it a Leyland PD2 ( or Bristol K6A as Sarah H mentoned). The Leylands were used on route 152 to Tun Wells via Battle & Mayfield, and route 5 to Maidstone. Incidentally building a dedicated bus interchange in the town centre was on the cards since before WW2, but only came about when the rail station was rebuilt !

Peter Fairless… Yes, used to be a pain if you got behind one on the old A21 on the way back to London on a Sunday evening!

 

 

Buses High Street Hastings 20s/30s

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original photographer: unknown. supplied by Lloyd Johnson

Lloyd Johnson… High Street Hastings Old Town….in the 20s/30s….

Marcus de Mowbray… It looks like if the road had been flat the buses would not have been able to pass each other without damaging their bodywork!

Stuart Moir… Enough room for buses to pass each other but I think it was a bit too close for comfort

Peter Houghton… When I lived in Bexhill the Buses used to Drive up from Sidley to the old Town and that is a very narrow road

Stewart Randell… Remember when the No11 & 2 Trolley Buses used to pass in the same spot 1950s