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| << AEC Works, Southall | Aldgate Bus Station >> |
| Name: | Aldenham Works |
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| Type: | Bus Works | |
| Code: | ALD | |
| Dates: | 1955 - 11/1986 | |
| Status: | Closed | |
| Info: | ||
| Current vehicles: | 0 ?This is the amount of vehicles listed as being currently allocated to this location. | |
| All vehicles: | 1,101 ?This is the amount of vehicles listed as ever being allocated to this location (subject to the comprehensiveness of our vehicle history records!). | |
| Photos: | 5 ?This is the number of published photos that were taken at this location. (See below) | |
| Sightings: | 49 ?This is the amount of sightings reported at this location. |
| Text | Date | Posted by |
| Aldenham was also the CB&C Divisional Office ('Borehamwood'). Based on Elstree Hill 01-953 2066. | 07/07/2007 | Ray |
| Elstree Hill South, Boreham Wood, Herts WD6 3BN | 22/12/2013 | Damon |
| LT also had a hostel and a sports ground at Aldenham. | 22/12/2013 | Damon |
| Construction and war use Construction of the Aldenham Depot for the Northern Line Extensions of the Underground was started during 1939 and continued into 1940. The outbreak of war in 1939 then lead to the postponement of the extensions. De Havilland then began preparing the almost completed cleaning shed for the production of fuselage sections for their Mosquito aircraft. It was then decided to complete the maintenance shed for partial use by the London Aircraft Production Group to produce components for the Handley Page Halifax bomber. These components were then built into complete aircraft at the nearby Leavesden Airfield in Watford. The L.A.P.G. was a consortium of the L.P.T.B and London based companies Duple Bodies and Motors of Hendon, Express Motors and Body Works of Enfield, Park Royal Coachworks, and Chrysler Motors of Kew. Later on Napiers Limited of Acton moved into the remaining part of the maintenance shed where they carried out work on their Sabre engines. All works on the site ceased during 1945 with the site vacated by the Autumn. We have this war use to thank for the buildings being completed as they were. Apparently bricks bought for the railway viaducts were used to construct some of the buildings at Aldenham. |
05/01/2014 | Damon |
| Initital Post-war use Aldenham did not actually pass into L.T.B. ownership until 28/04/1948. It was however used to store new RT chassis awaiting bodying from July 1947. It was first used for bus repair from 24/03/1948 (date the first buses arrived) and accident repairs were transferred to Aldenham followed by overhaul of Lowbridge buses and then the TF class. Then the overhauls of the service fleet were taken over followed by acceptance, preparation and licensing of new buses (and service vehicles?). After that fare tables, blinds and ancilliary equipmmnt were produced at Aldenham. Also from 1948 the SRT conversion programme was started there but this ended in 1950. It was further adapted for bus use during 1949 which was still before the decision was made to abandon the Northern Line extension and Aldenham's original intended purpose. Once the abandonment decision was made in late 1949 there was doubt as to whether the new Green Belt legislation would allow Aldenham to have a permanent industrial use. During 1950 RT overhauls were begun at Aldenham. |
05/01/2014 | Damon |
| Aldenham Bus Overhaul Works A decision was later made to turn Aldenham into the major bus works we now remember and work started in 1952 being largely complete in 1955 with an official opeening in 1956. The opening of the new Aldenham works went hand in hand with a major re-orgaisation at Chiswick as the two sites now had their own roles. The new works was an enormous place with the long ''High Bay'' as it was known being some 300 yards long and about 50 feet high alllowing bus bodies to be lifted and moved around high up in the air. The site never reached its full capacity because London's bus services went into decline shortly after it opened. During 1964(?) about a third of the rear of the site was leased to Leyland Vehicles and became a spares and service depot for both Leyland and AEC. |
05/01/2014 | Damon |
| Closure came on 15th November 1986 under the ownership of London Regional Transport. Most work was transferred to a re-organised and scaled down Chiswick Works including the production of bus blinds. The works complex was demolished during 1996. | 05/01/2014 | Damon |
| Added: | 2010-01-01 12:00:00 |
| Added by: | Thomas Young |