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Northampton's Trams and Buses: A Journey Through Time
Northampton's Trams and Buses: A Journey Through Time
Northampton's Trams and Buses: A Journey Through Time
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Northampton's Trams and Buses: A Journey Through Time

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Northampton, the county town of Northamptonshire, is rich in transport history. 1880 saw several tram routes commence operation within the Northampton Borough, being operated by the Northampton Street Tramway Company. After this, public transport in the town began to develop. The tram network being electrified in 1901. The 1910s saw a number of independent bus operators begin to link Northampton with the surrounding villages, introducing motor bus operation into the town. Over the years, Northampton has been home to numerous independent bus and coach operators. Two major operators also served the town, Northampton Corporation Transport (later Northampton Transport and First Northampton) and United Counties / Stagecoach Midlands.

Northampton’s Trams and Buses explores the development of the tram network within Northampton, as well as exploring how bus services in the Northampton, Wootton, Hardingstone and Moulton areas of Northamptonshire have developed from the early 1900s to 2021.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPen and Sword
Release dateNov 23, 2023
ISBN9781526780973
Northampton's Trams and Buses: A Journey Through Time
Author

David Beddall

The author's interest in buses and coaches began at age 7\. Growing up in Kempston, just outside Bedford, United Counties was his local bus company. Spending most Saturdays at Bedford bus station noting the comings and goings of the United Counties fleet, this grew his interest further. Twenty-three years later, his interest in buses has expanded to the whole of the United Kingdom, in particular London and of course Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.

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    Northampton's Trams and Buses - David Beddall

    INTRODUCTION

    Northampton, the county town of Northamptonshire, lies on the river Nene. The market town can trace its history back to the Bronze Age, with Northampton being granted a town charter by Richard I in 1189. Today the town is located close to the M1 motorway, with the A45 trunk road passing through connecting to the A14 near Kettering. Northampton, along with Northamptonshire as a whole, is perhaps most famous for its shoe industry, with many shoe factories being located in the town. An industry dating back over 500 years, it went into rapid decline during the 1960s, with the British Shoe Corporation being partly responsible for this. The Corporation imported cheap shoes to the United Kingdom.

    Northampton was similar to many towns and cities in the United Kingdom, expanding after the end of the First World War. Northampton expanded far beyond the termini of the tram network that had been introduced in the Victorian era. This led to the need for bus services in the Northampton area to pick up the shortfall. By the 1930s, Northampton’s borough boundaries had expanded to incorporate Weston Favell, Duston, Dallington, Hardingstone, Boughton and Moulton Park. The post-war years saw further expansion of Northampton. In 1968 it was announced that Northampton would be included as a London overspill area, with an estimated 80,000 additional people living in the town by the mid-1980s. This led to the development of new housing estates in the east of the town, known as the Eastern District. The expansion of the town initially put a strain on the bus network. Development of bus services in the town to accommodate these expansions are mentioned under the relevant chapters.

    In terms of public transport in Northampton, the railways were first to arrive, doing so in 1845. At this time a branch line was opened from the London and Birmingham Railway. Connecting to the main line at Blisworth, the line ran through Northampton through to Peterborough. Known as the Northampton to Peterborough Railway, the line served Bridge Street Station, the first railway station in the town. A second station, Castle Station, opened on the site of the former Northampton Castle in 1859, providing a loop from the West Coast Main Line. A third station opened in 1872 called St John’s Street Station. This was the northern terminus of the Midland Railway’s branch line running between Northampton and Bedford. St John’s Street station closed in 1939, with Bridge Street closing in 1964. This left Castle Station as the only station in Northampton and was subsequently renamed as Northampton Station.

    Public transport was first introduced to Northampton in 1881 when a horse-drawn tram network operated by the Northampton Street Tramway Company commenced operation. In 1901, Northampton Borough Council took over the tram network, soon electrifying it. After this time, the Council used the name Northampton Corporation Tramways for the operation. The Corporation was a late comer in operating motorbuses within Northampton, the first being introduced in 1923, with many independent bus operators providing motorbus operation into the town before this. Northampton Corporation Transport continued to expand within the Northampton area, restricted by the boundaries of the town.

    F. & E. Beeden, the Midland Motor Bus Company Limited, the Northampton Motor Omnibus Co. Ltd, the Wellingborough Motor Omnibus Company and W.A. Nightingale & Sons were the pioneering motor bus operators in the Northampton area. Between them they provided a number of links to towns and villages outside of Northampton.

    During early 1921, the directors of the Wellingborough Motor Omnibus Company Limited (WMOC) were looking at expanding the company into the Kettering and Northampton areas, with the view of establishing garages in these two areas. A contract was signed on 3 May 1921 for the construction of a garage facility on land purchased by the company in Houghton Road, Northampton. Northampton’s other big operator, the United Counties Omnibus and Road Transport Company Limited (later United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd), was formed in September 1921, and they took over responsibility for the construction of the garage. This new operator was formed to take over the operations of the Wellingborough Motor Omnibus Company Limited. Two routes operating into Northampton were acquired from the latter Company, and as the 1920s and 1930s progressed, United Counties made significant inroads into Northampton, as well as Northamptonshire as a whole, acquiring a number of independents. United Counties became a strong operator in the Northampton area, and went through various owners, Tilling Group, National Bus Company and Stagecoach Holdings, the name being used until 2014 when the operators’ licence was transferred to Midland Red South. However, under this new name, the Stagecoach Midlands operation in the town continues to be successful.

    The County Borough of Northampton ceased to exist on the re-organisation of local government on 31 March 1974. After this date, Northampton Borough Council took over responsibilities. From 1 April, Northampton Corporation Transport became known as Northampton Borough Transport.

    Alongside Northampton Corporation and United Counties, a number of independent operators provided services into Northampton, along with Midland Red and other larger operators. Some notable independent operators were York Brothers and Country Lion. The latter operator is still going strong in the Northampton area, operating school contracts, private hires, contract work and a few services in the town. Uno Buses of Hatfield, Hertfordshire started up an operation in conjunction with the University of Northampton in 2012 and has increased its presence in the town over the years, introducing a fleet of modern new buses.

    As will be seen throughout the early part of this book, the early bus operators used the yards of a number of public houses or hotels to terminate their services, avoiding the need to obtain Hackney Carriage Licences. Those operators who did apply for these licences were allocated certain streets close to the town centre to terminate their services.

    In addition to these, Northampton has had several bus stations. The first was located in Derngate and was mostly used by United Counties. This opened in October 1934 and served the town for many years before being replaced on 1 April 1976 by the infamous Greyfriars Bus Station. This gave Northampton its first central bus station, becoming the terminus of the majority of bus services operating into the town. Greyfriars, often referred to as an eyesore by many, was replaced by a new bus station in March 2014, given the name North Gate. It was located on the site of the former fish market. However, the new facility proved to be inadequate compared to Greyfriars. The smaller capacity of North Gate led to a number of services having to use The Drapery as their terminus and starting points.

    This book explores the development of Northampton’s tram and bus networks, looking at how the routes developed as demand grew. It also looks at how the local network of services was altered to incorporate the expansion of the town. Before we look at this, it is important that we briefly explore a couple of Acts of Parliament that affected the bus industry.

    The Northampton Corporation Act was passed in 1922. Section 25 of this Act allowed Northampton Corporation Tramways to provide, maintain and operate motorbuses within the Borough boundaries of Northampton, along with roads outside the Borough provided consent was granted by the Minister of Transport and the local authority in which they wished to operate. This was, however, amended after opposition was met from United Counties. Following a meeting between the latter operator and the Deputy Town Clerk, it was amended so that Northampton Corporation Tramways could operate buses within 2¼ miles of Northampton Town Hall. Restrictions were also placed stating that they were not allowed to operate routes on roads where it was felt United Counties were already providing an efficient service.

    Early bus services were governed by two Acts, the Town Police Clauses Acts of 1847 and 1889, and the Stage Carriage Act 1832. Under these Acts, early bus operators were required to obtain licences from the various local authorities in the areas where they wished to operate a service. In Northamptonshire, many of the local authorities of the time became responsible for this after passing byelaws. The Northampton Borough Council Watch Committee (NBCWC) governed the bus services operating into the town. This was mainly to protect the interests of the tramway. The NBCWC could set conditions on how much was charged for a fare in the areas where the trams operated. Both drivers and conductors were required to gain licences from each local authority that they operated into.

    This was all changed by the passing of the Road Traffic Act 1930; this being passed on 1 August 1930. Under this new Act, responsibility for the licencing and granting of services in areas passed from local authorities to newly appointed Traffic Commissioners. The country was divided into different traffic areas. Northampton originally came under the East Midlands traffic area, remaining as such until 1990, when it transferred to the Eastern area. Bus and coach operators were required to apply for Road Service Licences under this new act which came into effect from 9 February 1931. Many services that had operated prior to this date were generally granted by the Traffic Commissioner. After this date vehicles were required to pass stringent tests and, if they passed, they were issued with a certificate of fitness. A single licence and badge was issued to drivers and conductors under this act, replacing the numerous local authority badges required prior to the Act.

    David Beddall

    Rushden, July 2023

    1880–1909

    1880

    The Northampton Street Tramways Company was formed in January 1880. Soon after, parliamentary powers were obtained to build tramways on a number of roads within the town, these including Kettering Road, Wellingborough Road and Kingsthorpe Road.

    1881

    Just over a year passed before the first route opened. The service, commencing on 4 June, ran between West Bridge and the junction of Kettering Road/Kingsley Road. On 30 July, the route was extended from West Bridge to terminate at St James, Café Square, located between the junction of Weedon Road and Harlestone Road. A second route opened on 7 October 1881 between All Saints’ Church, at the top end of the Drapery, and Barrack Avenue/St Georges Avenue, running along Kingsthorpe Road. A depot and stables were constructed at 72 Abington Street and were used to house the eight tramcars purchased for the services, these being pulled by a pair of horses.

    1883–94

    Further expansion took place from 4 January 1883, when the Kingsthorpe line was extended further into Kingsthorpe, running from Barrack Road/St Georges Avenue to a new terminus at Welford Road. The St James Café Square service was extended to the junction of Weedon Road and Melbourne Gardens, this later becoming Franklin Gardens. The introduction of the service saw two further tramcars purchased.

    It took another ten years before the next tramway opened in Northampton. The line serving Wellingborough Road opened in May 1893. The service ran from Abington Square to the junction of Wellingborough Road and Roseholme Road. This expansion saw the doubling of the track in Abington Street, this location now being served by both the Kettering and Wellingborough Road services.

    The original livery used by Northampton Street Tramways is unknown. However, different liveries were applied to the tramcars during 1893, depending on which service they were used on. Those on the Kingsley Park to Franklin Gardens service wore a green and white livery. Those used on the Wellingborough Road service wore a red and white livery, whilst the Kingsthorpe Road trams were blue and white.

    It was planned that another tramway would be built between Gold Street and Bridge Street railway station. However, this idea was abandoned due to the steepness of Bridge Street itself, along with the difficulty of negotiating the level crossing of the railway. Demand grew for a service along this route, and on 5 April 1894 a horse-bus service commenced, linking All Saints’ Church with St Mary’s Church in Far Cotton, running via Bridge Street. Three single-deck horse-drawn buses were purchased for this service. These operated the service until 1907, when they were replaced by a pair of second-hand horse-drawn buses.

    1901

    The Tramways Act of 1870 gave local authorities the power to compulsorily purchase tramways that were operating within their areas after a twenty-one-year period. Under this law, the Tramways and Electric Light Committee of Northampton Borough Council took the decision to exercise this. An initial offer of £37,500 for the assets of 102 horses and twenty-two tramcars was offered to Northampton Street Tramways. This was refused, and a second offer of £38,700 was placed, this latter price being accepted. The new Company came into existence on 21 October 1901 and was named Northampton Corporation Tramways. Soon after the take-over, the decision was made to reconstruct, extend and electrify the system. This included new tramcar sheds, offices and a workshop. These new facilities were built in St James and replaced the Abington Street garage and stables. In total, the changes and electrification cost the Corporation £120,000. At this time, a number of trams were acquired, along with a pair of horse buses.

    1904

    Electrification of the Northampton tramway began in 1903 and was completed by the summer of 1904. At this time the fleet of horse-drawn tramcars were replaced by twenty electric tramcars. The St James-Kettering Road (Kingsley Park) and Wellingborough Road lines were the first to be converted, being finished by the date mentioned above. The Kingsthorpe line was opened shortly after, with electric trams taking over from horse-drawn ones on 19 August 1904.

    A problem was encountered by the Corporation in Bridge Street, Far Cotton. At this location, the tram lines met the main railway line of the London & North Western Railway, who, until 1914, would not allow trams to pass over the rail lines. This meant that passengers had to alight the tram, cross the bridge and travel on a second tram which was pulled by a steam roller.

    1910–1919

    1910

    The first passenger-carrying service between Northampton and Wellingborough commenced in 1910. William Valentine of Wellingborough had moved to the latter town in 1901, taking over the Wellingborough to Northampton carriers service of John Willis. This became a daily operation, and in 1909 Valentine motorised the service using an Argyll lorry, which he adapted to carry passengers.

    1911

    The name Frank Beeden will appear a number of times during this book, as Beeden was one of the pioneers in bus travel in the Northampton area. Beeden was a local sack merchant, who in 1911 purchased a Napier lorry which he also used to transport passengers for private hire parties, a practice he continued for a number of years.

    1912

    Thomas Henry Ernest Griffin of Daventry commenced business in August 1912. From this date, he was licensed to carry both goods and passengers. By 1914 he had commenced a daily service between Northampton, Campbell Square and Daventry, serving the villages of Flore, Weedon, Dodford, Newnham and Staverton.

    As has already been seen in this chapter, local companies would convert a lorry for passenger use at this time. Albert Norman Heeps of Guilsborough was no different. Purchasing a lorry in 1912, a bus body was fitted to the vehicle when it was not in use as a lorry. This allowed Heeps to operate a service from Guilsborough, via Hollowell, Creaton, Spratton, Chapel Brampton to Northampton.

    1913

    A brief mention should be made here of Thomas Henry Clark of Rothwell. On 28 May 1913, he was granted a licence by Kettering Urban District Council. Clark did not operate a regular bus service, instead occasional excursions to both Kettering and the Bull Hotel in Northampton were operated.

    Wellingborough Motor Omnibus Company Limited (WMOC) was formed on 3 May 1913. By June, the Company had established three services. One of these was a service between Wellingborough, Wilby, Earls Barton, Ecton and Northampton.

    A new service connecting Northampton, Milton, Blisworth and Towcester was established by George Henry Clarke and George Dillow at some point between July and August 1913. The bus used was housed in the yard of the Plough Hotel, Northampton. However, this service was short-lived, ceasing in the autumn of 1913.

    A second service began between Northampton and Earls Barton in September. Alfred Jackson, the landlord of the Stag, Earls Barton, purchased a charabanc in May and applied to the Northampton Borough Council Watch Committee for a Hackney Carriage Licence to stand a bus in Abingdon Square, Northampton. This new service operated on market days (Wednesdays and Saturdays).

    Northampton-based funeral

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