Furness Vale is a village in North Derbyshire that straddles the A6 Manchester to Buxton trunk road, originally a turnpike. This story is about the public transport which served that road over the past 200 years.
STAGE COACHES
"Heads, heads - take care of your heads", cried
the loquacious stranger as they came out under the low archway which in those
days formed the entrance to the coachyard. "Terrible place – dangerous
work – other day – five children – mother – tall lady, eating sandwiches –
forgot the arch – crash – knock – children look round – mother's head off –
sandwich in her hand – no mouth to put it in – head of family off – shocking,
shocking.
Alfred Jingle
These are the opening lines spoken by Alfred Jingle in Pickwick Papers by Dickens. Riding
on the top of a stage coach (or outside) certainly had its’ dangers. Whether
anybody actually was injured by low arches, we don’t know. There are stories of
people being decapitated by low branches but these are probably legends rather
than fact. There was certainly a danger of being thrown over the side on rough
roads when moving at speed.
Please see the addendum at the foot of this post.
Stage
coaches
were first developed in about 1640 and were first advertised at the end
of the 17th C when the London to York service was inaugurated. Most
travellers at
this time would ride on horseback or walk (sometimes very long
distances).
Coaches were the preserve of the aristocracy or merchant classes.
During
the
18th C, numerous coach routes were established. At first the appalling
state of the roads meant that speeds were low and some routes were
suspended
during the winter months. These
vehicles were regarded as safe and comfortable and at about a shilling
for 5
miles, reasonably priced. To put these fares into perspective, consider
that in 1800 a labourer might earn £20 a year although £40 was nearer
the income neaded to support a family. A middle income would be £100 per
annum.
One
great
risk to travellers was the threat of highwaymen. It's not clear how
many were engaged in this
activity but their life expectancy was low as many were hanged. Certain
areas suffered more than others; the
roads out of London were dangerous and the Peak District was said to be
worse
than the Wild West. No doubt stories have been exaggerated over the
years but
certainly many highwaymen were placed in the gibbet at Wardlow Mires.
Many highwaymen were ex soldiers who knew of no other way of earning a
living.
The
building of turnpike roads in the 18th century with their gated toll houses and
the improvement in policing saw an end to this crime by 1815. In addition, mail coaches now carried armed guards.
John Palmer
John
Palmer was owner of the Old Orchard Street Theatre in Bath. He was a regular
traveller on the London to Bath coach and in 1782 made proposals to the Post
Office for delivery of mail by coach.
This was initially rejected as it was believed that the system could not
be improved upon. Undaunted, Palmer took his proposals to William Pitt who was
then Chancellor of the Exchequer who allowed him to make an experimental run.
In August 1784 the mails left Bristol by coach, arriving in London 16 hours
later, 22 hours faster than previously. Pitt was impressed and within a month
Manchester was served by mail coach as were 3 other cities. John Palmer was
appointed Comptroller of the Post Office and by 1797 there were 42 mail coach
routes.
The Bath Mail
Mail
coaches were initially provided by contractors and were often poorly built. By
the early 19th Century the Post Office was operating its' own fleet of coaches
built to a standard design, painted black and red with a coat of arms on the
door.
Completion
of the turnpikes reduced the journey time from Manchester to London to 18
hours. The average speed was 15mph and horses would be changed at 12 mile intervals, more often in hilly
country. The approach of the coach was
announced by the sound of the guard's horn and a change of horses would be
waiting at the coaching inns. The changeover took just 2 minutes. There would
be two meal stops of 20 minutes each. The guard also announced their approach
when nearing toll houses. The gates would be held open as mail coaches were
exempt from fees. Other coaches and regular waggons would also drive through
having paid an annual fee.
The Breakfast Stop
Prior
to the introduction of mail coaches, the passengers would elect their stopping
places so many country inns would offer a coaching service. The new mail
coaches stopped only at scheduled posting inns.
Fernilee Toll Bar
It
was 1804 when the Manchester to Buxton turnpike was opened through Furness
Vale. Previously through traffic had followed the old Roman Road between Disley
and Whaley Bridge and this would have been the route taken by stage coaches. The Soldier Dick opened the following year,
the license having been transferred from the Posting House at Stoneheads. The
village pub never served coaches but the name of the Stoneheads inn suggests
that the former must have been a coaching inn.
Buxton
Road in Furness Vale would have seen the passing of a number of coaches each
day. The frequency varied as routes would be introduced of withdrawn. There
would be at least one daily service to London via Buxton although at one period
it was necessary to change at Leicester. A Manchester to Sheffield coach
travelled via Chapel and at times it was possible to take a Buxton to Liverpool
stage. Derby and Nottingham were also served and in addition there were shorter journeys between Buxton and Stockport and
Manchester. The coaches then were a familiar sight as they raced along at
15mph. Travel was still not cheap. In 1800 the journey from Buxton to London would cost 2 guineas inside or 1
guinea sat on top. In addition, the guard and driver had to be paid. The journey from Buxton to Manchester cost
10 shillings By
1825 the fare to London is quoted as £10 inside or £5 out.
By
1850, as many as 15 coaches a day passed through Furness Vale and
Whaley Bridge in each direction. Mail coach travel was at a peak which
was to be short lived.
A
more affordable if slow form of travel was also available. It was common for
carters to offer a scheduled goods service, sometimes several times a week.
Passengers would also be carried, not very comfortably nor quickly but at a low
cost. Some journeys covered long distances. Pickford for instance would carry
passengers as far a London.
The
railway opened as far as Whaley Bridge in 1857. The last four in hand mail coach continued to run out of
Manchester until October of the following year. This was the "Derby
Dilly" which followed the route through Buxton and Bakewell. "Dilly"
was short for Dilligence, a type of coach. "Derby Dilly" was also a
name given to a group of political dissidents of the time. Although the railways quickly brought an end
to most coach travel, a few services continued to operate in the Peak District
until the early 20th Century.
Buxton was for many years an important coaching town with many post houses around the Market Place.
The
London Road coaches "The Lord Cornwallis" and the
"Regulator" climbed up Yeoman's Lane which was in the vicinity of
Terrace Road. These both ceased running in 1825 and were both privately owned.
The Cornwallis changed horses at the White Hart in the Market Place.. Mr Isaac
Whieldon was licensee and part owner of the coach. He was said to have made his
fortune at this inn. He lived to be nearly 90 and is buried in Hartington his
home village.
The Regulator was owned by
Mr Logan of the Eagle in Buxton Market Place and the horses were regularly
changed here. In 1814 the snows were so deep that the Commissioners employed
men to cut an arch opposite the New Inn so that coaches might pass.
The Cheshire Cheese 1937
Timothy
Swinscoe was a well known Buxton character. Previously an ostler, he took the
license of the Cherry Tree Inn in Spring Gardens. He was known as an eccentric
character and having had little custom for 4 or 5 days, he spread a bag of wood
shavings over the cellar floor, setting light to them. He ran into the street
shouting Fire!. This caused much excitement and many people rushed to the
Cherry Tree only to find that a joke had been played on them. He was successful
in attracting custom though and his takings were better than for a long time.
Bradbury's coach "Peveril of the Peak" was upset whilst racing with
"The Duke of Devonshire" which belonged to William Lees of Whaley
Bridge". The race took place at Cold Springs. Old Timothy who had rather a
large nose was on Bradbury's coach which threw him over the wall at the
roadside. He was unhurt and on regaining his feet declared that his nose had
saved his brains from being smashed out.
The
stage and mail coaches depended very much upon the inns, The coaching houses
provided a change of horses as well as food and refreshments and also overnight
accommodation. Overnight stays were usually comfortable and guests well
provided for. The chambermaids made sure of this, perhaps hoping to be well
looked after in their turn.
The Newhaven Inn
After
leaving Buxton, many coaches called at the Newhaven Inn on the Ashbourne Road.
Built
by the 5th Duke of Devonshire in the 18th Century and originally called
"The Devonshire Arms" this inn was at a busy road junction and on the
route of numerous stage coaches. This
was at first bleak location but
landscaping and planting soon softened the outlook. The hotel was large and had
stabling for 100 horses. It was common for several coaches to be seen together
in the courtyard. King George IV spent a night at Newhaven and was so pleased
with the hospitality that he granted the inn a licence in perpetuity. The hotel
thereafter became a fashionable society destination and was often fully
occupied. It was said to be as gay and fashionable as any hotel in the
Capital. Newhaven was especially
popular during the Buxton "season", about a fortnight after Whitsun
when racing would take place on Fairfield Common. The course was a mile oval
and had a grandstand. The Duke put up £100 for a gold cup race. The races
attracted much trouble and were short lived ending about 1840.
Fairfield Common Racecourse 1825
At
Newhaven a large cattle, sheep and horse fair took place at the end of October.
All kind of wares were laid out for sale in the adjacent field.
Newhaven
is a remote location for such a large establishment and for some years the
building has stood forlorn and empty. Now being renovated, hopefully the hotel
will have a new lease of life.
There
are said to be tunnels leading from the hotel into nearby woodland. It is said
that these were used by fleeing highwaymen.
HORSE BUSES
John
Greenwood was keeper of the Pendleton Toll Bar on the Manchester to Liverpool
Turnpike. In 1824 he purchased a horse and cart and fitted it with several
seats. Pendleton was an expanding suburb and home to a growing number of
Manchester merchants whose only means of transport was by stage coach. Three of
four times a day, Greenwood ran his omnibus to Manchester. The bus would pick
up and set down passengers where they wished without the need for advanced
booking. The bus was considerably cheaper than the stage coach.
Experimental
bus services had been tried in France more than a century beforer but were little more
than entertainment for local people and soon ceased. Greenwood's service was
therefore the first scheduled bus in the World. Greenwood soon added Buxton as a daily destination bringing a
very early bus service to Furness Vale.
He
and a number of competitors soon created a thriving network of bus routes. He
died in 1851 and left the business to his son John. This eventually became the Manchester Carriage
and Tramways Company which until 1903 operated an extensive tram network.
Manchester Carriage and Tramways Horse Bus - Museum of Transport, Cheetham Hill
When
the railway opened to Whaley Bridge in 1857, the LNWR provided a horse bus to
carry passengers onwards to Buxton. Through tickets were available from
Manchester and intermediate stations. The buses would climb up the path between
the station building and the Jodrell Arms in order that passengers could board
the bus adjacent to the platform. The service continued until the line opened
as far as Buxton in 1863.
Last journey of
the Cheadle Horse Bus, probably about 1908.
The
journey by horse bus had its' dangers.
A news report reads" A rather serious accident occurred near Whaley
Bridge on Monday afternoon. A mail omnibus starting from Matlock had arrived at
a place where the horses usually stopped for water, on the brow of a hill
between Buxton and Whaley Bridge. Whilst it was waiting there, another omnibus,
in connection with the railway, came up and the drivers of the two vehicles
foolishly joined in a race for the first place. Going down hill, the pace of
course was most rapid and a man and a boy were thrown from the top of the mail
bus by the rolling of the vehicle. The boy escaped with injuries to his wrist
and face but the man it was feared was internally hurt. They were taken to the Jodrell Arms and were placed under medical care.
John Burroughs seemed to be the most seriously injured and remained at
the hotel for nine days. The younger man Silvester Frankel was able to leave
after two nights and returned to London. His injuries gradually became more
severe and his brain was clearly injured.
Eventually
on 2nd December 1863, a case of negligence against the L.N.W.R was heard at the
Court of the Queens Bench. Frankel was said to have been "rendered an
idiot" by the accident. The judge
hearing the case was reduced to tears at the sight of the unfortunate young
man. Compensation of £2000 was awarded,
a very large sum in 1863.
MOTOR BUSES
Motor
buses started to appear on Britain's roads in the late 19th century. Until the
Locomotives on Highways Act came into force on 14th November 1896, legislation
had prevented the operation of mechanical vehicles on public roads. The first
buses were crude conversions of motor cars or horse buses which had been
adapted to operate with a motor. A number of early buses were imported from
Germany where development was more advanced. Through experimentation, more
reliable vehicles were designed. At first single deck buses were produced, then
in 1906, the first double deck vehicles went into production. For a few years
buses were difficult to obtain as
almost all production was destined for London.
This early Daimler is seen in
London about 1900
It
was still to be some time before regular motor bus services reached the roads
of Whaley Bridge and Furness Vale.
The
British
Electric Traction Company had been founded in 1895 to operate electric
tramways. In 1905 they launched a subsidiary, The British Automobile
Traction
Company in order to develop motor bus services. At the time, many
corporations were taking over operation of
tramways through compulsory purchase and it was time for BET to
diversify. On 10th November 1913 B. A. T. opened a depot in
Macclesfield.
This was in King Edward Street in the premises previously occupied by
Pickfords
Carriers. The building still existed into the 1980's although the bus
garage
had moved to Sunderland Street in the 30's. A depot in Buxton was also
opened
in 1913. The first buses were Belsize single deckers but these had
inherent
chassis problems. They were built by Belsize Motors of Clayton,
Manchester.
This company had been formed in 1901 and by 1915 manufactured a wide
range of
cars and commercial vehicles and employed 1200 people. The Buxton fleet
was
replaced with 34 seat Daimler double deckers. These buses were painted
green
and cream with the name "British" on gold letters on the side panel.
A
Macclesfield - Hazel Grove - New Mills service was introduced in 1914 although
this was suspended at some time during WWI.
The Stockport to Buxton route commenced in 1921 and
from 1923 one bus daily ran via Marple.
B A
T developed a network of routes in the Peak District linking Buxton, Hayfield,
Glossop, Matlock etc. Buxton had routes to Macclesfield, Sheffield, Chapel,
Whaley, Glossop, Leek, Bakewell, Rowsley and Matlock.
FRANK CLAYTON
The
photograph below was taken outside the Co-op in Furness Vale, Yeardsley Lane is
in the background behind the bus.
Between
1908 and 1912 Frank Clayton of Offerton operated a bus service between the
Thatched House in Stockport and the
Jolly Sailor in Marple via Offerton. As the side boards on the bus name these
places it seems likely that this is one of his buses. The destination Buxton is
pasted in the window next to the driver. There is no record of any regular Buxton
service at that time and this is perhaps an excursion. The bus is parked on the
wrong side of the road. The vehicle is
probably a Milnes Daimler, these were built in large numbers from 1906 onwards.
The company was formed as the result of an agreement between Milnes and Co of
Hadley, Salop and Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft in Germany to construct motor
buses and had no connection with the better known Daimler of Coventry. Milnes
were well known as builders of tramcars and horse buses.
MANCHESTER DISTRICT OMNIBUS CO
In
1906 the Manchester District Motor Omnibus Company Limited was formed by a
group of London businessmen. The company office was in John Dalton Street and
the garage in Trafford Park.
In March of that year they ran a series of free public
demonstration trips from Albert Square.
The first public services were in Chorlton cum
Hardy, Didsbury and Withington, Stretford, Cheadle and Alderley. These were
prosperous areas and the residents didn't like the sight of motor buses on
their quiet residential streets and soon caused problems. By Autumn 1906
services ceased and the company went into voluntary liquidation.
Manchester
District did not operate a service through Furness Vale so the bus in this
photo is probably also on an excursion. It is obviously posed for the cameraman
and as with the previous photograph, is on the wrong side of the road perhaps
to take advantage of the light.
The
bus is probably another Milnes Daimler. In the nineteen hundreds this was the
most popular manufacturer of motor buses and by 1907 over 600 were in service;
the double deck model having been introduced in 1902.
The
name of Frank Clayton again appeared in 1913 when in September he applied to
Marple U D C on behalf of B. A. T. for licences to run buses between Stockport
and Marple with an hourly frequency and between Poynton and Newtown via High
Lane and Disley. A garage at Marple was
proposed which would house buses for other anticipated routes. The buses were
to be single deckers
NORTH WESTERN
Thomas
Tilling
was another major player in the development of bus services in
England. They had numerous bases around
the country including a large presence in London. They were a larger
company
than British Automobile Traction. Tilling also had an interest in
Tilling Stevens, a bus manufacturning company in Maidstone. This was a
major bus builder before World War II and suppled many Tilling and
B.A.T. subsidiaries.
Tilling
and B A T although competitors, tended to co-operate with each other. In 1923, they launched a jointly owned
company, the North Western Road Car Company, each holding a 50% share. The
assets of the Macclesfield operation of B A T were transferred to the new
company including 50 buses and 22 routes. In 1924 it was decided to move the
head office from Macclesfield to a newly built base at Charles Street in
Stockport.
A Tilling-Stevens of North Western
The
North Western Road Car Company was to expand quickly. 1923 saw new routes
between Glossop and Marple Bridge, Stockport and Denton and Stockport and
Mellor. In the following year services
were introduced in the Saddleworth area to be followed over the next few years
by expansion in the Oldham area including the opening of a depot in Crofton
Street, Oldham. Also in 1924, North Western took over the operations of The
Mid-Cheshire Motor Bus Company of Northwich and in 1926 Altrincham and District
Motor Services was absorbed. Garages continued to operate in those towns until
the break up of North Western.
GlossopTram 1910
1927 saw the abandonment of tramway operations in both
Glossop and Matlock. These were
replaced by North Western who introduced bus services which were later expanded
around those towns. By the end of that
year more than 200 buses were in operation over 80 routes.
Manchester Corporation operated a monopoly of
tram and bus routes and to protect this, they refused to licence any competing
bus services within the City boundaries. Buses from the country turned round at
the tram terminus, presumably this was Lloyd Road in Levenshulme for the Buxton
buses.
The General Strike - Piccadilly Gardens
The general strike of 1926 effectively broke
the monopoly. As replacements for strikebound railways and tramways, a number
of small independent operators offered buses to the City from the suburbs. As
they sold return tickets and did not pick up passengers within Manchester they
did not require a licence from the Corporation. Although the strike was soon to end, these competitors now had a
foothold. Manchester was forced to set
up joint service agreements with other corporations such as Stockport, Oldham,
S.H.M.D. Bury and Bolton. By late 1927 these joint services were in operation
and similar arrangements were agreed with North Western and Ribble. In the case of these companies, revenue
earned within Manchester had to be paid in full to the Corporation. If you
remember travelling on the 27 into Manchester, you may recall being handed a
"No Cash Value" ticket in addition to the normal one. This was to
record the number of cross border journeys and to calculate Manchester's share
of the fare.
From
1st March 1928, some routes were extended into the City Centre. Revenues earned within Manchester, however,
had to be handed over to the Corporation.
That same month, North Western acquired the routes of Tetlow and Collier
in the Flixton and Urmston areas
LOWER MOSLEY STREET
North
Western and Ribble now invested £12500 each to purchase a Manchester site for
their new joint bus station. This was
close to Central Station at the southern end of Lower Mosley Street. The
Bridgewater Hall now occupies part of the site. The bus station, at first just an open tract of land opened in
April 1928. The Buxton and Hayfield services, routes 27 and 28 respectively
were extended to the City from that date.
Lower Mosley Street Bus Station was developed throughout
the 1930's, new buildings and shelters being added as demand rose. New operators started to use the bus station,
especially other B.E.T. subsidiaries. A network of long distance services was
also established providing routes to many parts of the Country. Wartime brought a cessation of many
services but by the 50's demand was rising again and further expansion of
facilities took place.
Part of a North Western map showing the extent of
services in 1947
Although the 60's saw a gradual decline in
traffic, the bus station remained a busy place. !968 however, saw North Western
absorbed into the National Bus Company and rationalisation began.
BREAK UP OF NORTH WESTERN
It was November 1969 when SELNEC came into
being, having taken over the bus operations of eleven municipalities. All of
North Western's route network within Greater Manchester was taken over by
SELNEC from March 1972 and Lower Moseey St closed in March 1973. It was not
considered that the remaining part of the company could remain viable. The garages at Northwich, Biddulph and
Macclesfield were transferred to the National Bus Company subsidiary Crosville,
the Buxton and Matlock garages to Trent. Other garages such as Wilmslow were closed.
Buxton Garage 1964
The
bus garage in Buxton was on Charles Street, it had opened in December 1963. The
site is now occupied by Aldi. When the
garage closed, Trent's operations were transferred to Dove Holes.
1986
saw
the deregulation of bus services in the UK with the exception of London
and
Northern Ireland. The local bus
companies which succeeded North Western were all affected. SELNEC was
rebranded GM Buses. In 1994 in preparation for privatisation,
the company was divided into GM Buses North and GM Buses South. Short
lived
management buy outs took place in 1996 after which they were sold to
First
Manchester and Stagecoach Manchester.
Crosville which had taken over from North Western in Macclesfield
operated a local service to Whaley Bridge and was privatised in 1988.
Trent which had taken over the Buxton operations was privatised in 1986.
On
the privatisation of Crosville, the Macclesfield depot passed first to the Bee
Line Buzz Company of Manchester and then to C-Line with a fleet of 47 buses. C-Line was absorbed by Midland Red North on
1st January 1993. Stevensons of Uttoxeter was aquired by British Bus who
transferred to Midland Red North fleet to that operator. Stevensons was
re-branded Arriva in 1997.
Buses
under these fleet names were all seen on our local roads as a number of
services operated out of Macclesfield.
The story of ownership of these buses is even more complex post
privatisation and I will avoid adding to the confusion by passing that topic
by. They were in effect all operating names of Drawlane Ltd which eventually
became Arriva.
BOWERS
Eric
W Bowers Coaches Ltd was formed in 1952. As a coach operator Bowers offered
excursions from local pick up points and operated school and private hire
coaches. After bus de-regulation in 1986, Bowers started to develop a number of
local bus routes.
Bowers
was taken over by the Centrebus group in 2007. Based in Leicester, this is a
fast growing company formed in 2001 with operations in East Midlands, the East
of England and West Yorkshire.
In
April 2012, Bowers was merged with the Dove Holes operations of Trent to form
"High Peak". The new company is jointly owned by Trent and Centrebus
although it is effectively operating as a Centrebus subsidiary and the buses
will carry the blue, orange and white Centrebus colours.
From
the late 50's onwards, as car ownership increased, passenger numbers declined, a few routes were lost and
frequencies suffered. Subsidies supported a number of services but
de-regulation did bring some benefits as the new operators were somewhat more
go-ahead than the nationalised companies. Many routes now have higher frequency
than at any time in the past.
It
is mostly evening and Sunday operations that have declined
-------------------------------------------------------------
Under
North Western, the Macc - Buxton service was route No 1. It only ran twice a
day with an extra bus on Saturday. By the 70's, this had been withdrawn
completely. When Virgin trains took
over Manchester to London operations, they introduced a feeder bus on this
route and this proved popular with local travellers and shoppers. It is now
High Peak route 58 with an hourly frequency. I have been told by several
different people that the North Western bus often used to wait for the
scheduled departure time at the Cat and Fiddle. It was common for passengers
to carry a few treats for the sheep that would regularly invade the bus
as soon as it arrived. It was the
conductor's job to chase them off before the bus could depart.
Another
route to have improved is Macc to
Whaley Bridge. For decades only 2 or 3 journeys were run. The bus often stood
on Canal Street for over an hour waiting its' departure time. This bus now runs
every hour and is often extended to New Mills or Disley.
It is mostly evening and Sunday operations that have
declined
Charabancs will have been a familiar sight in the early
20th century. These, usually open topped vehicles were engaged in outings to
the seaside or country. They would often be used for works outings or trips by
organisations such as Sunday Schools.
An outing by Chara from Furness Vale
Charabancs originated in France in the
1840's as horse drawn vehicles and the name means a carriage with wooden
benches. The motorised vehicles often had interchangeable bodies and would be
converted to a goods vehicle in the Winter months. The name "charabanc"
continued in use long after the vehicle had been replaced by more familiar
coaches and even today some people will still refer to a "chara".
Taxis
have also been based in the village and although they have usually been private
cars, they have long been a familiar sight.
Taxi cabs originated in Paris and were introduced to London in 1897 when
75 electric vehicles nicknamed "hummingbirds" after the sound that
they made, were introduced. They were unreliable and were involved in a number
of accidents because they could not be heard, and were withdrawn by 1900. The
first motorised cabs appeared in 1903, a French built Prunel. Several makes
were tried including Belsize and by 1906 almost 100 were in use. Soon after, the General Cab
Company introduced 500 Renault vehicles. "Conditions of Fitness" were
introduced in 1906 and in 1907 the regulations were extended to include the
fitting of "taximeters". Motor cabs then became known as
"taxicabs" later abbreviated to "taxis". The "taxameter"
was invented in Germany in 1890 and was originally fitted to horse drawn cabs.
Addendum
Author Stephen Jarvis has provided the following additional information:
www.facebook.com/deathandmrpickwick
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