Bus Services in the Alston Area

Bus Services in the Alston Area
by David Grisenthwaite

A review of all operations and operators
but concentrating on Wright Brothers of Nenthead.

Reproduced from past newsletters
published by the Cumbria Transport Society.

Alston Moor (Cumbria and Northumberland) is in the North Pennines and has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is relatively isolated, sometimes said to be a remote wilderness - rather an exaggeration. It is however a sparsely populated upland area south of the Tyne gap and in effect separating Tyneside from the Lake District. It is penetrated by the upper valleys of the rivers South Tyne, Wear and Tees to be bordered on the west by the Eden Valley below the Cross Fell escarpment. It is crossed diagonally north-east to south-west by the scenic A686 road connecting Hexham with Penrith. Midway is the small town of Alston at the confluence of the rivers South Tyne and Nent. It has an attractive cobbled and hilly market place which has featured in the film of lane Eyre and the television production of Oliver Twist. Otherwise it is a tourist centre with some agriculture and a lead mining heritage. It is the only settlement of any size in the area, with a population of less than about 2,000.

Bus services have been provided since 1924, pioneered by Wright Brothers of Nenthead who are closely identified with the area. Ther have been and are other “independents” notably Ridley, Stokoe and especially Hetherington and Renwick of Garrigill, 1929-1959 whose local service by two routes epitomized the one-bus country operator, and more recently Caldew Coaches and Tynedale Group Travel. Major concerns have included the Cumberland, Northern General, Ribble, United and currently, Stagecoach companies. Of some fame is the seasonal Newcastle upon Tyne and Keswick, Lake District route which traverses the area and which has had a complicated history and which survives without the aid of a subsidy.

This account traces the development of these bus and coach services, their growth well into the 1950s and their subsequent decline. There is an assessment of the Alston branch rail replacement (1976) and of the attempt in the 1990s to promote recreational facilities using public transport. Today their remains a small network of three weekday services and two occasional ones as well as the daily seasonal trunk route linking Tyneside with the Lake District which also has a Saturday connection from and to Durham. The significance of the Rural Bus Grant scheme cannot be ignored as the area is dependent upon it.

1. Introduction

Until the reorganization of local government in 1974, Alston (map reference NY718465) along with Garrigill was an established and independent Rural District Council in Cumberland, whereas it is now a parish within the Eden District Council of Cumbria. At the same time Alston lost its urban status, virtually no longer a market town, but instead became ranked as a large village. It has also changed in its function from a mining cum agricultural settlement to a tourist centre but also retaining some market activity. It has a population of about 2,000 and is generally still called a town. It is located in the heart of the northern Pennines at the confluence of the rivers South Tyne and Nent. As a consequence of this isolation, it has a larger than might be expected secondary school, Samuel Kings, opened in 1909. There is also a cottage hospital, known as the Ruth Lancaster James.

The railway to Haltwhistle, on the Carlisle and Newcastle upon Tyne line, to be known as the Alston branch, was completed in 1852 for the important lead mining traffic. It was made available to passengers on 17 November but such a service between Haltwhisde and Shaft Hill (later Coanwood) had started the previous year on 19th July 1851. It was closed on 1st May 1976. Part of the track is occupied by a narrow gauge line, initially a far as Gilderdale and then extended in 1999 to Kirkhaugh. This was built by the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society and was opened on 30th July 1983. There are plans for a further extension to Slaggyford.

Alston is also an important road crossing, of the A686 made by MacAdam in 1824, and the A689 with the nearest town, Penrith, 19 miles to the south-west over Hartside on the A686 and Hexham, Northumberland, 24 miles to the north-east.

A post coach (licence 9837) service, “The Bolton” (not Royal Mail) started by a Mr Charlton ran between Hexham and Penrith in 1827. It carried four passengers inside and eight on top. It operated once each week day (although initially Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays only) in each direction. The following year, a four-horse coach service was introduced between Newcastle upon Tyne and Penrith. They continued until, at the lastest, circa 1855.

The county town and city of Carlisle is 29 miles to the north-west by the A689. Because of this relative remoteness Alston perhaps unexpectedly, had three, now two, petrol filling stations. In 1938 for example, 818 motor vehicles traversed Alston each day, mainly it is assumed, the cars passing through. This also reflects the significance, in transport terms, of the motor car whilst the surviving bus services once so dominant, are all now subsidised. Eighty years ago with the bus supreme, it was quite different and remained so until the second world war. In the county of Cumberland (excluding Carlisle) there were in 1938, just 7,900 private cars, only about 4% of the population having one in their possession. Thus in round terms, it may be calculated that one household in seven had a car, a total in the whole of Alston of about 100 or so.

During that time, especially in the early 1930s unemployment was high, at times in excess of 60%. Along with west Cumberland, Alston Moor was declared a special Distressed Area in 1934 thereby gaining some government support for new enterprises. None of this had a direct effect on the bus industry. Its development was principally local but with many services reaching Alston as it were, en route between other destinations. Even so, a dozen different proprietors were involved, namely Collins, Emmerson, Henderson, Hetherington & Renwick, Northern General, Percival, Ribble, Ridley, Stokoe, Tatters, United and Wright Brothers. The centre of bus activity was in Station Road at Townfoot on the A686 and 926 feet above sea level - about 200 yards from the market place in Front Street and a ¼ mile south of the railway station.

2. Nenthead and Wright Brothers

Of the different bus operators, the best known is Wright Brothers of Nenthead (Ordnance Survey Map grid reference NY782437), the longest surviving independent in the north-west of England having been established in 1924. Nenthead at the confluence of the River Nent with the Gillgill Burn, is a former lead and zinc mining (and processing) and quarrying settlement. It is reputed to be the highest village in England at 1,437 feet above sea level. Nenthead lies 4¾ miles east of Alston on the A689 (B6293 until 1976). Prewar and until the increases of 1951, the bus fare was 9d (4p) single and 1/3d (6p) return, double the normal rate of 1d (0.42p) per mile. It is however, part of the parish of Alston and in most statistical accounts is included within it.

Nenthead was founded by the London Lead Company in about 1760 and was planned in 1825 as a model village with a large house-building programme including a reading room. In 1886 the mines were acquired by the Vielle Montagne Zinc Company. It also had large smelting plants so that for a time the population of Nenthead, swollen by immigrant miners and engineers from Belgium, Germany, Italy and Sweden, was larger than that of Alston.

Its decline both in status and population accelerated after the first world war, particularly between 1919 and 1925 when production virtually ceased. Now it is a very small community, less than a fifth the size of Alston, but including the much acclaimed Nent Valley Mining Heritage Centre on the site of the Rampgill lead and zinc mine, closed in 1967. It is in the heart of the upland area separated from County Durham by the Killhope Pass and surrounded by extensive grouse moors.

Ned Wright was, until 1915, gamekeeper on one of the estates. He had five sons and five daughters and he and his two older boys all saw war service. A younger son, Jimmy, gave his mother Mary a pony and trap with which she provided a taxi service between the village and Alston railway station. The oldest son, Tom, who before the war had been a coal miner on Tyneside, was commissioned in the Tank Corps where he also acquired motor mechanical engineering skills. After demobilization, with the aid of his gratuity, he and his brother purchased in 1919, a model T Ford to replace the pony and trap; they also established a garage. The sporting estate had collapsed in the war so that Ned on his return from service in the RFC, had no job. He, his wife Mary and the younger children moved to Newburn on Tyneside, Ned finding work as a coal miner. The business in Nenthead was not sufficient to support the two brothers so Jimmy left to become a bus driver with the Majestic company at Ebchester. He reported favourably, so much so that Tom decided to attempt a bus service between Nenthead and Alston.

It was started on Tuesday 25th March 1924 with a 14-seater model T Ford and connected with the trains at Alston station. This diversification was important as earlier the village joiner Joseph Heslop, had opened a garage and petrol filling station which provided serious competition for the somewhat limited motoring trade. By the following June, a second Ford and also a Fiat ex Emmerson, NL 7210, were acquired and the service becoming so well established that two other brothers, George and John Bell, joined the enterprise.

Alston was very much a railhead but the journey from there to Hexham via and involving a change at Haltwhistle was somewhat circuitous. The Wright Brothers purchased a 14-seat Guy, RM 1244, with which they inaugurated a direct service along the A686 via Haydon Bridge from Alston to Hexham. This was at the beginning of April 1925. About 18 months later, a direct service on Tuesdays was stated from Nenthead also to Hexham, but via Carrshield (Ordnance Survey Map grid reference NY803476) and the West Allen valley, joining the main road at Whitfield. The road between Nenthead and Coalcleugh at the head of the West Allen valley is both winding and hilly, rising to a height of 1,998 feet - a most challenging route especially with the buses then available. This brought Wrights into competition with the Stokoe brothers of Whitfield who had started a service from Carrshield to Hexham in 1926. These developments affected the local and somewhat fragile rural economy including the demise of the Thursday market in Nenthead. It was already in decline and with this improved access to alternative markets, on Tuesdays in Hexham and Alston on Saturdays, the small village population (then about 780) could not sustain it.

Also during the late 1920s, presumably after the 1926 coal strike, contract services were operated from Nenthead and Alston to the mines at Lambley and Haltwhistle. During the long layover at Haltwhistle, the bus was employed on a local service to Coanwood. This is recorded by Keith Turns in “The Independent Bus” (Published by David and Charles in 1974) but there is very little detail available. The Wright Brothers letter heading of 1928/9 had listed “bus services to Hexham, Haltwhistle, Wearhead and Penrith”. There had, for a short time in the 1920s, also been a Thursday market service between Nenthead, Alston, Lambley and Kellah to Haltwhistle; unfortunately the dates of operation are not known. It is believed that it was operated for about six months. The road between Lambley and Haltwhistle was very hilly and then gated with difficult and sharp corners.

3. Competing interests between Newcastle upon Tyne, Penrith and Keswick

In 1929 a new daily service was started by Wrights between Penrith and Wigton via Skelton and Sebergham (the only route out of Penrith then not covered by a bus service) and for its operation, Tom Wright brought a vehicle each morning from Nenthead. This was an unsatisfactory arrangement and within a short time, a bus was out-stationed instead at Penrith. Later in the summer, the Sunday journey was extended to Silloth, but the Wright Brothers were advised that for it to pick up in Silloth, a licence would be required from the Holme Cultram Council. Wrights did have plans, despite the relative paucity of traffic, to improve and extend the service, but at the end of September sold it to Smith and Rose of Penrith. (See Note 1 below). Frank Smith was the owner of Newlands Garage where it was believed, Wrights kept their bus. Jack Rose was its driver.

At the same time that autumn, the operation of the extension from Alston to Penrith was discontinued for the winter. It had been proved during the previous winter to be both difficult to operate and not to be justified. Furthermore, a more realistic development was now possible by the purchase of Ridley's 24-seater Leyland Lioness TY 3914 and the goodwill of his summer service between Newcastle upon Tyne and Keswick via Alston. The abandonment of the Penrith operation helped to provide the necessary capital for this acquisition.

By this time the British Automobile Traction Co Ltd (BAT) were firmly in control in Penrith through their subsidiary company, Armstrong and Siddle, and provided a comprehensive network of facilities from the town. Cumberland Motor Services had acquired the local firm, really on behalf of BAT, in the spring of 1928 and by the further purchase of Mandale, had secured the road to the west as far as Greystoke. To strengthen this and most importantly to establish a main link with their services at Keswick, the Cumberland company, in their own name, inaugurated a daily service between Penrith and Keswick on 28th September 1928, thereby precluding any such possible provision by Wrights. This route was to become, in June 1929, jointly operated with Ribble - in order that Ribble could make a connection with their new express service to and from Glasgow. They had taken over control of Armstrong and Siddle in January 1929 (effectively April) and which they fully absorbed and integrated into their undertaking on 23rd September 1929.

Ridley had been the pioneer of the route linking Tyneside with the Lake District, having started his service, daily, from Newcastle upon Tyne to Keswick on Wednesday 21t March 1928. His monopoly was short lived because at Whitsuntide on Saturday 5th May 1928, the Northern General Transport Company started their competitive service, advertised as a daily excursion from their Westgate Road coach station. Six former BMMO (Midland Red) vehicles dating from May/June 1925 and acquired in 1927 were allocated to the service. They were 332-337 (HA 2435/9/6-8/40) SOS 'S' type, which were fitted with 32-seater Davidson charabanc bodies. (See Note 2 below).

Notes:-

Smith and Rose ran the route for the next seven years, although the summer Sunday extension from Wigton to Silloth was discontinued in 1935. The service and a Bedford WLB, RM 9968, were sold in December 1936 to Cumberland Motor Services for £400 but they disposed of the route to Ernie Hartness of Penrith for £50 the following August. During the war it was reduced to operate on Tuesdays only and in 1965 was curtailed at Sebergham to be withdrawn altogether following the death of Hartness in 1971. He had inaugurated an alternative route between Penrith and Wigton to go via Skelton, Millhouse and Caldbeck running each weekday. This was started on 28th October 1935 and to some extent it undermined the Smith and Rose service. It did mark the second and this time successful attempt by Hartness to be more than just a provider of market services and schools contracts.

According to the PSV Circle and Omnibus Society fleet list of the Northern General Transport Company (PA 10 June 1980), the ex-Midland Red vehicles were new in May/June 1925. All are shown as having Davidson bodies, not charabancs, but C32F. The text above however, is considered correct. These machines had been numbered in the Midland Red fleet as A47/48/89/86/98/99 - HA 2435-40. They were transferred from Northern General to Wakefields in 1931, to be returned in 1933 when they were modified and renumbered. Most were withdrawn in the war, but one, 847 (HA 2437) survived until 1955.

Robert Emmerson & Co Limited followed on 28th March for the summer of 1929 (until 2nd November), prompted by their parent company, the LNER, with an express service (7) over the same route. Four vehicles were authorised for its operation, two 25-seat Gilford coaches, nos. 9 (CN 3389) and 10 (CN 3348) and two ADC 416 buses with Macpherson B30F bodies new in 1928, nos 7 (TN 7943) and 12 (TN 8319). It has been said that light-weight Thomycrofts were tried on the route but were found unsuitable allegedly on account of the gradients, but no details are known.

Ridley, faced with that operation therefore became a willing seller, having by the 1929 season, just the one service and one vehicle. G G Ridley had started a bus service from his Haltwhistle garage on 4th April 1925, initially in partnership with Walton, but later instead with other members of his own family, to Hexham via Fourstones. By 1926, he was operating also between Brampton and Haltwhistle and from there hourly to Hexham, alternate journeys travelling by the main road south of the South Tyne between Haydon Bridge and Hexham. For three weeks in November 1927 he also ran between Newcastle upon Tyne and Carlisle in competition with Emmerson Brothers, then relinquishing the route to concentrate on his original service (it is believed by arrangement with Emmersons). In March 1928 when he started his Keswick service, he kept the vehicle so employed in Newcastle upon Tyne. This was fortuitous because on the night of Friday 15 "' Hune 1928, his Haltwhistle depot was destroyed by a disastrous fire. He also lost his other eight vehicles and soon afterwards, had to abandon his main services. Blaydon `A' meantime had extended hourly from Hexham to Haltwhistle. Ridley was however able to continue with his Keswick route, but the competition during the 1929 season had been severe, particularly as Northern General were running twice daily, morning and afternoon.

Wright Brothers had without success, endeavoured to operate beyond Hexham into Newcastle upon Tyne, but had been consistently refused - twice in 1929 - by the city licensing authority. The city maintained that there was more than adequate service along both routes westward from the city to Hexham. There were they alleged , most suitable connecting facilities available at Hexham for Alston. The ABC timetable for January 1930 included very odd timings for Alston for a through service (perhaps limited from Newcastle upon Tyne to return ticket holders only), and it was more likely that they were connections provided (most probably) by Norfolk's service via Blaydon. By the acquisition of Ridley, Wright Brothers were assured access to and from Newcastle upon Tyne and were granted the necessary licence by the city in April 1930. To what extent they achieved this previously with their Alston service has yet to be definitely ascertained.

Their new timetable came into operation on Saturday 5th April 1930 and there were three main services:-

(a) Newcastle upon Tyne (Marlborough Crescent) - Alston - Keswick. Daily throughout the year to Alston and summer only to Keswick. This was the start of Wrights’ Keswick service inherited from Ridley but incorporating Wrights' Alston and Hexham facility but now extended to Newcastle upon Tyne. There were two additional journeys on Saturdays between Alston and Hexham. This was a successful development as Wrights' were assured of traffic between Newcastle upon Tyne and Alston, and vice-versa, the service being worked from Nenthead. There was also a Tuesday market journey from Alston to Hexham and back via Carrshield incorporated into their second route (b) below.
(b) Nenthead - Carrshield - Whitfield - Hexham. Tuesdays as above but with two other weekday journeys between Nenthead and Whitfield connecting there with the main service, and also a Saturday run to Hexham. This competed with Stokoe’s service.
(c) Alston - Nenthead - Cowshill - Wearhead. Daily with up to nine journeys between Alston and Nenthead including positioning runs for the main service. Two journeys on weekdays only and summer only were extended via Killhope Pass to Wearhead.

4. United becomes involved

United Automobile Services Limited had taken over Emmersons on 1st January 1930 including the Keswick service; this was revived for the season as United service 8 on 16"' April. It was further improved in June 1930 to operate twice daily, but was shortly afterwards withdrawn - on 17th June in favour of the Northern General service with which it was in competition. Since Saturday 31st May 1930 however that had been provided jointly with Ribble Motor Services Limited who had objected to the Northern General company operating in their territory west of the Alston boundary. They both opposed the United service. These developments were part of the area agreements and memorandum on express services between the combine companies so that the consequential United withdrawal was conditioned on Northern General / Ribble giving United full protection east of Staward Station. (See Note 3 below). This meant that they could not carry local passengers between Newcastle upon Tyne and Haydon Bridge.

Staward railway station, on and part of the Allendale branch, closed 22nd September 1930, was on the United service 37 (ex Emmerson, Norfolk and Wharton) between Newcastle upon Tyne and Allendale. It was connected there with service 38, direct from Hexham, for Allenheads at the head of the East Allen valley. United was also allowed to continue their service 2 from Newcastle upon Tyne to High Spen which, south of Ryton, was in Northern General territory. The main road, the 'south side' along the A695 between Newcastle upon Tyne (shared with the Corporation's Blue Buses as far as Branch End) and Hexham was immediately south of and along the A695, the road being in United territory and the route of the service to Hexham from which Northern General was excluded. The substantial United investment therefore, in the purchase of Blaydon 'A' was justified, fully protected and the service (no. 1) maintained.

Thus by the end of June 1930, competition on the Keswick route was confined to Wright Brothers and Northern General / Ribble identified by Northern General / Ribble as the 'Lakes Limited Service' and by Ribble officially as 33ex. Seats could be booked in advance on all the operators' services. An attempt by J H Henderson of Alston (he operated excursions from the town) in March 1930 to run a service between Newcastle upon Tyne and Blackpool via Alston was refused by the Newcastle upon Tyne licensing authority. Essentially Wrights were the providers of the local services between Alston, Nenthead and Hexham.

On 27th April 1929, R & C McCombe of Ryton started a service between Newcastle upon Tyne and Blackpool via Prudhoe, Hexham, Carlisle and Keswick. A 16-seater Thornycroft (UP 2709) was used and later, a second coach seating 20 (TY 2290) was added, the service becoming daily. They traded as Star Motorways. They attempted without success, to sell the service to Glenton Friars, and when the licence came up for renewal before the Newcastle upon Tyne authorities in 1930, it was refused. This was because it should have operated via Alston and not Carlisle. Mrs McCombe made an impassioned appeal to the licensing board and they were permitted to continue and still via Carlisle. Later in the summer of 1930, the service was absorbed by Emmersons and was operated until the end of the season as service 26E but omitting Prudhoe (direct via the A69 instead) and Keswick, travelling directly south from Carlisle along the A6 through Penrith. It became United service 36 and continued daily each summer, later being diverted via Morecambe.

It was neither shared with Ribble nor with Northern General and therefore gave Ribble full protection south of Carlisle and did not convey passengers between Newcastle upon Tyne and Penrith, but was able to do so from intermediate points such as Heddon and Hexham at the same fares as Wrights service X63. It prevailed until the war and ran at weekends in 1940 after which it was finally discontinued.

Note:-

3. In the joint operation of the combine service, the territorial boundary at Alston was of considerable significance. It was in fact between the Ribble (to the west) and United companies, the Northern General territory being an endave - an important one - within the United area. On joint long distance limited stop express services it was the normal practice to carry local intermediate traffic at appropriate fares so as to protect any local stage facilities. As the eastern end of the Keswick route was in United territory, the joint operators had to give full protection over that part covered by the stage services of United so that the first setting down point from Newcastle upon Tyne was at Whitfield. Thereafter, local 'express' fares were available as far as Penrith beyond where full protection applied because of the Cumberland Motor Services involvement in the stage service to Keswick.

5. The Carlisle Connection

Wrights, lacking the necessary resources, were not able to operate on the other main (and probably easier) route out of Alston along the South Tyne valley, then the B6292 to Brampton and Carlisle. In order to prevent such a possible development, Richard Percival Limited of Carlisle had inaugurated that service in January 1927. It was essentially and extension of their well established route between Carlisle and Hallbankgate (it had started in February 1926). At this time Wrights' did have (it is understood), their Thursday market service to Haltwhistle, but within a short time it was withdrawn. To accomplish the operation of the Carlisle route, Percival's out-stationed a new Albion 25-seater bus (HH 3291, alternately with another Albion, HH 3292) in Alston (perhaps and most probably at Tatters Garage, but this is not certain), and two journeys were operated each weekday into Carlisle with three on Saturdays. Goods were conveyed (on the roof) as well as passengers. At Christmas, live turkeys and geese were carried inside the bus in special hessian sacks. Under the Carlisle Corporation numbering scheme introduced in the spring of 1928, this became known as service 8. Competition on that route was started however by J W & G Tatters, the Alston garage proprietors in April 1928 unsing a second-hand Garner with a B20F body (WM 2039). This was an occasional and unauthorised operation which eventually was regularised in April 1929 when a licence was granted by Carlisle City and the service, identified as 17, run to a proper timetable. George Tatters however was notoriously unreliable and when his application for a licence under the 1930 Road Traffic Act came before the Traffic Commissioners on 16th October 1931, he was refused. It was stated that he sometimes stopped on the way to Carlisle at Knarsdale for refreshment and he was further criticised for paying his conductor only £1 per week. He had operated with two journeys each day into Carlisle with three on Saturdays and although the times were different, it did mean that the traffic was shared between Tatters' and Percivals'. The latter however, had the lion's share. Even so, the service was operated at a loss, Percivals' earning about £18 per week.

The Tatters family opened their garage at Townfoot, Alston, after the First World War. They also established their tours and charabanc business with two vehicles, a Model T-Ford (X 5986) and a Napier (X 7424). The Garner (WM 2039) was acquired in the spring of 1928 and in December 1930, a Chevrolet (UP 5014) was added, followed in 1931 by a Bedford. Certificates of fitness required under the 1930 Act, were not granted for the older vehicles and the loss of the Carlisle service must have contributed to the decision to sell the business. It was taken over by the Collins brothers in December 1931.

Percival's as such, did not benefit from the withdrawal of Tatters, as their service was acquired by United with effect from Tuesday 1st December 1931. Richard Percival Limited had become part of the Balfour Beatty group of companies in September 1924 and was a subsidiary of the Carlisle and District Transport Company Limited (operators of Carlisle Tramways). They in turn, were purchased by the Carlisle Joint Transaction, the consortium of combine companies - Caledonian, Cumberland, Ribble, SMT and United - on 21st November 1931.

During the last week in November, Percival's Alston service was operated by Ribble, as the transaction agent, before it was taken over by United. It became their route 22 and was to continue until 5th January 1969 when it was transferred to Ribble. It was worked by a bus out-stationed in Alston, United utilising Collins' garage, paying 1/- (5p) per night. With three weekday journeys (four on Saturdays and after 1932, two on Sundays) it provided the most frequent service to a major town out of Alston. The return fare at 4/3d (21p) was comparable with that to Hexham at 4/- (20p). Unlike Wrights, it did not cater for morning traffic which the Wright Brothers service was able to accomplish for both Hexham and Newcastle upon Tyne passengers.

Also inherited by United was Percival's driver, Emslie Hunter, who was to become their senior man in Alston; he remained with the company until his retirement in 1967. He only ever drove buses on service 22 which pre-war, has a three man crew, all able to work as driver/conductor, two days on and one day off over a three week cycle. In those days, morning and afternoon journeys were worked through to Carlisle, but in the evening (afternoon on Sundays) and early evening on Saturdays, the crews changed over at Roachburn.

Post war, the operation was more conventional with two crews based in Alston, but with more changeovers en route. One man operation was introduced in 1960. Service 22 ran about hourly between Crossgates and Carlisle and in total required a basic allocation of three buses - one each from Alston, Brampton (until January 1941 when that out-station was closed) and Carlisle. Apart from the war years, 22 was not a profitable route and in 1953, for example, lost about 4d (1.67p) per mile. Even so, with earnings of £392 per week, it made a contribution to overheads and by marginal costing principles, did better than breakeven. Emslie's wife, Alma, ran the Tyne Cafe next door to Collins' garage and it was used by United's employees as a tea room. After the war, and perhaps before, there was as a consequence, a custom and practice of terminating inward journeys on the 22 from Carlisle, at Townfoot opposite the Tyne Cafe, where all passengers had to alight. Only the departures operated from the official terminus at the railway station. The United (and Wright's) parcel agent in Alston was Mrs Fortune who owned the "Tweenwhiles" tea room further north along Station Road opposite Front Street. These premises are now both closed.

In the post war period, by June 1947, the frequency of United 22 was improved so that four journeys were operated each weekday with five on Saturdays but still only two on Sundays. It was to continue virtually unchanged for the next 24 years. The route of the Carlisle service has, since deregulation, reverted to the one originally pioneered by Percival's, via Crosby between Carlisle and Brampton whereas United 22 and Ribble later, went via Warwick Bridge.

6. Hetherington & Renwick of Garrigill

Garrigill (Ordnance Survey Map grid reference NY745416), the other village within the Alston Rural District and four miles from the town, had a bus service which was provided by Hetherington and Renwick of Garrigill, where they had a garage. It was started on a trial basis in 1929 with a Chevrolet, RM 5178, which was supplied to them by Wright Brothers. Joseph Hetherington, who had resigned from the LNE Railway in 1924 to live in Garrigill, had provided facilities as a carrier of both goods and passengers to and from Alston. He later ran a taxi, entering into partnership with Horace Renwick who had inherited a similar business from his father. The demand was such that these jobs were very much part-time. They then built the garage in Garrigill, still running two taxis, a model T Ford and a Dodge. The experimental bus service justified the purchase of a new Chevrolet, RM 6462, with 14 seats. This was in September 1929. The bus was painted blue and white and lace curtains were fitted to the windows.

The service ran to Gatehead (Ordnance Survey Map grid reference NY746412) at the south-eastern edge of the village, journeys on the direct route departing from Collins Garage but those via Leadgate having the railway station at Alston as the terminus. Fares were above the prevailing norm, like Wright's at 2d (0.83p) per mile, 9d (4p) single and 1/3d (6p) return. It was essentially, a Saturday service with only two journeys during the week, including until 1934, a Friday morning journey for the unemployed. This one bus was also available for excursions from Garrigill.

During the summer of 1936 a Saturday service, with two runs, was introduced between Alston and High Ashgill, intended primarily for ramblers. The development of Alston Moor as a centre for holiday-makers was still in its infancy, relatively fragile and fairly specialised. The Pennine Way on which Garrigill became an important and popular staging point, was a post-war development of the 1950s - started in 1951 and officially opened on 24th April 1965. In the following summer of 1937, the Ashgill facility was replaced by a daily service extended further along the very isolated B6244 between Ashgill from Alston into Teesdale. Connections were made at High Force with David Todd's Triumph service to Middleton in Teesdale with through facilities via Staindrop to Darlington. It only ran for a short time that season and had been prompted by unsuccessful applications by J Wilson of Middleton in Teesdale to run from there to Alston, by David Todd from Barnard Castle, and by Wade Emmersob (trading as OK Motor Services) from Bishop Auckland.

By this time Hetherington and Renwick had become a private limited company, with a nominal capital of £1,000. It was incorporated on 25th March 1936, Joseph Hetherington selling his assets to the company for £875 and Horace Renwick for £5, so that the issued capital was £880. The registered office was at Garrigill House and Joseph Hetherington was appointed Company Secretary.

Despite the change in structure, the partnership did not make any further attempts to extend its service. It continued with the one vehicle, a neat, self-contained operation, epitomising the rural bus during this era. School journeys were added in May 1936 for the benefit of pupils attending the Samuel King Grammer School in Alston. During the summer, the route was run twice daily, augmented with seven additional journeys on Saturdays. For the winter, the Friday morning journey was reinstated but otherwise the weekday service was confined to the school journeys. The Saturday schedule was very similar to that in the summer. By 1939, both services used the railway station, along with United, as the Alston terminus. There was little change during the war other than curtailment in the late evening.

A larger bus was purchased in 1943, a 20-seater Bedford new in 1934. It was AAO 204 which was obtained from Cumberland Motor Services, their no. 32, which they had acquired in 1941 when they took over Bennett of Millom. This larger vehicle was necessary because the population of Garrigill had grown with the arrival of evacuees from Tyneside. The service was also important with the provision of weekday journeys, these being increased to six in 1946, but with a progressive reduction from 1948 onwards.

By 1945 Hetherington has sold many of his shares to Renwick so that they were equal partners, but with Hetherington remaining as secretary. Then in November 1946, he disposed of his stake in the business, half to Renwick, and the remaining £220 to H V Vipond. At the end of December 1952, Renwick became virtually the sole shareholder, acquiring the remaining shares from Vipond (he emigrated to Australia) apart from a £1 stake held by his wife who had also become the Company Secretary. By this time, the service was again confined to the one bus, the Bedford, which was replaced in May 1952 by a Bedford OB. This was a larger vehicle, CTY 303, with a Mulliner body, B31F, and new to Norman Fox of Falstone in 1947. Further reductions followed at this time so that the service only ran on schooldays and on Fridays and Saturdays in the winter, although still daily in the summer (two journeys augmented to five on Saturdays, as in the winter). The operation, despite serious overcrowding on Saturday nights was of course losing money; no excursions were run after 1955 an the one Sunday journeywas discontinued in April 1958. Finally in August 1959 with the expiry of the Certificate of Fitness for the Bedford, the service was abandoned. Horace Renwick lamented ruefully that it was prosperity that caused the lack of patronage. The school contract was continued with a bus hired from Wright Brothers.

Horace Renwick with his wife Lily and daughter Jennifer, maintained the village garage until his death in November 1965. The garage was closed, the business transferred by its purchaser, A Corbett, to Teesdale Transport Limited. George Bell who had been with the business since the 1940 as a driver and latterly as Company Secretary, joined Wright Brothers and then drove the Ribble bus based at Alston from 1976 until his retirement ten years later.

7. Wright Brothers - The Main Independent

When Wright Brothers made the necessary application for licences under the 1930 Road Traffic Act, they only sought two - TAR829/1, Newcastle upon Tyne and Keswick, and TAR829/2, Alston and Wearhead. The implication of this is that they discontinued the services to Carrshield and this is thought to be the case apart, very questionably, from the Tuesday market journey to and from Hexham; if so it was simply a variation of the main service. When the traffic commissioners granted the main application on 16th October 1931, it was in the form however, of three licences, namely:-

829/1 Newcastle upon Tyne and Keswick - Summer only
829/3 Hexham and Alston (no mention of Carrshield) and
829/4 Newcastle upon Tyne and Alston

The original application for the main route was most strenuously opposed by the Cumberland, Northern General, Ribble and United companies, and also by the LNER and Stokoe's. Because of United (especially) and Ribble, restrictions were applied prohibiting the carriage of local passengers between Edenhall road end and Keswick and, more importantly, also between Newcastle upon Tyne and Hexham. This was of course, a very serious inhibition as far as Wright Brothers were concerned. Eventually by 1933, they were to have this latter restriction eased so as to apply east of Corbridge only. The Hexham and Newcastle upon Tyne traffic was of considerable value to them where they also had a small advantage over United and their service 34, providing a slightly later morning and seemingly faster journey, saving several minutes.

In the spring of 1933, Wright Brothers took over the services of Isaac, Thomas and Rex Stokoe (t/a Stokoe Brothers) who had the Low Shap garage at Whitefield on the A686. These included the service between Hexham and Carrshield, so that once again, Wright's were fully operational each weekday on that route up the West Allen valley. This also included facilities through to Nenthead, although in fact the licence authorised a service between Hexham and Carrshield only. There is a possibility that Wright Brothers may have earlier withdrawn from this route by arrangement with the Stokoe brothers whose application they had opposed on 11th November 1931. United had attempted to prevent Stokoe's carrying local passengers between Hexham and Haydon Bridge but had lost on appeal.

Also acquired from Stokoe's was a summer only route between Whitfield, West Allen and Allendale, run each weekday, and a Thursday market service between Carrshield and Haltwhistle. Because of the narrow gated road across the isolated north Pennine moors at Wolf Hills, a special Robson bodied Chevrolet bus, CN 2668, of reduced width had to be employed. This was transferred to Wright's who took over operation of all three routes on 1st may 1933. They diverted the Haltwhistle service via Rowfoot and Park, but were denied the carriage of passengers between Featherstone and Haltwhistle because of opposition by the LNER who had a station at Featherstone Park on the Alston branch. Wright Brothers persevered with this very lonely route for a year. It was discontinued on 16 th May 1934. This was the last service allowed to cross the bridge over the South Tyne river into the town as later that year, a strict weight restriction was imposed. As a consequence when in April 1938, Leslie Robson, a smallholder at Midgeholme, initiated his Saturday service from Tindale to Haltwhistle, it had to terminate at the bridge instead of the market place. Subsequently, Robson developed his services so that they had a nuisance value to United 22, from which they abstracted some traffic.

Robson never operated to Alston but, between 1953 and 1956, he did run a Tuesday market service from Slaggyford into Penrith via Hallbankgate (to where he protected United), Talkin, Carlatton and Ainstable (ex Proud), Baronwood and the A6 road.

Starting at Easter on 23rd March for the 1934 season, Wright's Keswick terminus was transferred from Pape's garage in Station Street to the Cumberland bus station in Tthebarn Street in order to comply with the local regulations made by the Urban District Council and endorsed by the traffic commissioners. Similarly in Penrith, the service was to use Sandgate instead of Great Dockray, a legacy from the original Penrith service in 1928 a At Keswick, the Cumberland company made a charge for their use of their bus station and it is perhaps noteworthy that the Wrights did not appoint them as booking agents.

At this time, 1933/34, Wright Brothers had a fleet of 12 buses:-

TY 3914, a Leyland Lioness bus with 24 seats, ex Ridley.

-?-, a Daimler bus with 28 seats.

-?-, 5 x Reos buses with 20 seats - nothing is known of these buses, but there is a photograph of one of them in the Hub Museum at Alston Station.

-?-, 2 x Commers buses with 20 seats.

RM 5857, a Bedford bus with 20 seats.

(probably) CN 2668, a Chevrolet bus with 14 seats.

CH 8918, a GMC bus with 20 seats.

By the following year, the rolling stock comprised of 2 Lionesses, 3 Tigers, 3 Lions, 3 Cubs and one Dodge (TY 4302 ex United ex T Allen). The Lions and Tigers were 32 seat buses, all second hand. This was a marked change, a conversion to an almost all Leyland fleet.

Ever since the advent of long distance coach and charabanc services to the Lake District during the 1920s, Keswick Urban District Council (whilst welcoming the business they brought to the town) had been concerned about traffic congestion. They were particularly disturbed at the "cluttering of the pavements" by the visitors' luggage. They insisted on off-street parking and pressed most assiduously for a company owned bus station. Cumberland Motor Services as the main operator were not unsympathetic and after investigating various sites, opted for Mrs Pritt's Cabby field with a station adjacent to their small depot which they had built in Tithebarn Street in 1927. This was in 1930, but they then procrastinated realising the need in the summer but not in the winter.

Between November and March, Keswick was a dismal place with few tourists - there were no week-end breaks, people then working a five and a half or six-day week. The matter was aggravated by the depression, the company suffered a serious decline in revenue and profits in 1931/2. The local council and the traffic commissioners were adamant over the need and eventually CMS completed the station which was opened on 15"' May 1933 having been assured that all bus services and visiting coaches would be required to use it. They were persuaded that the parking fees and some rate relief would offset both the operating and capital costs. The conditions were strictly applied and express services and Wright's stage route were only allowed to stop at the bus station. Only the independent Borrowdale operators were granted exemption and they continued to use the Market Place as a terminus. The station was closed in August 1989 to be replaced by an adjacent stand (Wright's from stand B) and coach park in May 1991. The stand and car/coach parks are part of a supermarket development which four years ago was acquired by Booths. In 2005 they increased the coach park charge from £3 per day to £15 (£105 per week), which is too much for Wrights, so they park elsewhere but continue to use the stand. Wrights originally went to the Royal Oak Hotel, Pape's Garage and later the George Hotel yard, and Northern General operated from Bank Street.

The conditions at Penrith were not so strictly applied. Sandgate in 1928 was designated the official terminus although some operators, including Wright's, continue to use Great Dockray. In 1933, the traffic commissioners insited on the transfer of Wright's to Sandgate - at 3/- (15p) per week - although Smith and Rose continued to use Great Dockray. Sandgate was a better stand for Wright's with connections to Ullswater and elsewhere. Following the death of Hartness in 1971, his property was acquired by the council and on 6th April 1972, they opened their bus station which replaced Sandgate, although adjacent to it.

Other later chapters to be continued.

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