I'm researching the following and struggling to find anything so hope you can help.
Looking for picture(s) Mid to Late 1950s of double decker bus on route (don't know route number). Presume it was City of Oxford (could be wrong) from High Wycombe bus station to Watlington, I believe it went via Stokeonchurch. They only ran one or two a day. Probably the bus was an old Guy or similar.
Maybe someone can point me in the right direction
Brian Jeffreys
15/03/15 - 07:07
One operator serving Watlington was the business of Arthur House who traded as House's Watlington Buses.
The Oxford and Chiltern Bus Page mentions the company: www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/
I don't have any further details of the business or its services myself so am unable to elaborate further.
Since Watlington is located in the area between the operating areas of two of the big companies, namely the B.E.T. owned City of Oxford Motor Services and the nationalised former Tilling Group owned Thames Valley Traction Company, it might be that these two may also have served Watlington but I am unable to check my old bus and coach guides until I return home tomorrow.
To jog the memory of the colour of the 1950s era City of Oxford double deckers take a look at this photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:City_of_Oxford_Motor_Services
Thames Valley buses were red with cream relief.
David Slater
16/03/15 - 06:39
The 1969 edition of the ABC Bus and Coach Guide includes summaries of the bus services operated by the major territorial companies, together with route maps. Watlington was served by both Thames Valley (from the High Wycombe direction) and City of Oxford (from the Oxford and Princes Risborough directions). Unfortunately there is no detail of the services, so that they were presumably considered not important enough to be included in the respective summaries, so they were probably not very frequent, and might not have reached those points mentioned. However, it is probably reasonably safe to assume that the service during the 1950s would have been similar to, or better than, that in 1969.
I don't know enough about the history of those operators to be certain, but I guess it is possible that they would still have been using wartime utilities in the 1950s, which could conceivably have been Guys. By 1969, I guess they would have been using either Bristols (TV) or AECs (COMS).
Nigel Frampton
16/03/15 - 06:39
I have scanned the pages from the ABC Coach and Bus Guide (Winter 1956/7) for the Thames Valley Traction Co Ltd and The City of Oxford Motor Services. The pages both feature a small route map.
The Thames Valley map appears to show a service into Watlington from High Wycombe via Stokenchurch, a service which terminated at Watlington.
The map may be seen at: www.ipernity.com/doc/davidslater-spoddendale/37381418
The City of Oxford Motor Services map shows ran a service through Watlington.
The map may be seen at: www.ipernity.com/doc/davidslater-spoddendale/37381376
Regarding vehicles, the 'Little Red Book' for 1956/7 summarises the bus fleets as follows:
City of Oxford: 245 buses (194 double deck and 54 single deck). Chassis: AEC, Guy. Bodies: M.C.W., Park Royal, Willowbrook, Northern Coachbuilders, Duple.
Thames Valley: 336 buses and coaches (169 double deck and 167 single deck). Chassis: Bristol, Bedford. Bodies: Eastern Coachworks, Duple, Windover, Beadle.
House's Watlington Buses: 7 single deck bus/coaches; 2 coaches. Chassis: 7 Bedford, 2 Commer. Bodies: 7 Duple, 1 Dutfield, 1 Harrington.
So, to narrow the field of investigation somewhat, City of Oxford did operate some Guys.
David Slater
21/03/15 - 06:54
Winter 1964 Thames Valley timetable shows TV service 39 High Wycombe - Stokenchurch - Watlington - 5 - 6 journeys a day.
Seems to have been run from High Wycombe and the Stokenchurch 'dormy shed' (TV's term for outstations) along with services 40 (Radnage) and 41 (Ibstone) to High Wycombe. This shed also housed some City of Oxford buses, for COMS service 75 (Oxford - High Wycombe)
Some discussion about it, and the buses allocated, here - www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/211203.htm
I can find a building about the right size and shape (although clearly heavily rebuilt - there's a pre-1939 picture of it in the 'British Bus Systems' book on Thames Valley) on the north side of Wycombe Road, Stokenchurch, close to the junction with Ferndale Close.
I don't have a COMS timetable to hand, so can't say if there was an Oxford - Watlington service.
Jon B
11/12/16 - 13:43
Re your comment about Houses of Watlington. I lived in Reading from 1964 to 1967. They had a 'back road' service from Reading to Watlington three times a day (presumably Thames Valley didn't think it was worth operating). Their stop in Reading was in a sort of side road beyond the Station and it was a rather decrepit stop that was a shared stop with Chiltern Queens (who ran out to Ewhelme). I think House operated an old Bedford OB at that time.
Peter Davies
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