< View previous picture - View next picture > Photographer / Copyright Ray Monk Images should not be reused without permission. View vehicle details Location Link/s Guildford Garage Date added to site 14/11/2021 Printer-friendly version of this page

Details: Ray has been getting around a bit lately, and on 13th November 2021 he took this photo of Guildford Bus Garage. This location is in the news at present, with Arriva announcing that the base will close on December 17th this year. The site had in fact been sold to a property developer a few years ago, and leased back for continued use. Around 44 buses currently work from here and the location is not to be replaced, services instead being transferred to other operators such as Stagecoach and Hallmark. Guildford Garage is notable for being one of very few former LT premises still in use in the 'country' area, and also for the fact that it is a rather constricted site, squeezed between houses and the River Wey. The building seen here is believed to be based on the original structure. Built in 1932 (for what was then 'London General Country Services'), the main building lasted until about 2001 when it appears to have been reduced in length. The front half was demolished, leaving the rear half (containing the engineering bays) in place. The shortened building was extensively re-clad, giving it a more modern appearance. At about the same time, a single storey office block on the other side of the yard (out of shot on the right) was also demolished, the net result being a much larger yard for bus parking. To keep the SV in LTSV, I should mention that three service vehicles are in this photo, although one can barely be seen. On the left is Ford Transit Connect van GM66WWL, the resident engineer's van. Parked in the fourth bay of the garage is Peugeot 308 car MD69ONF in unmarked dark greyish blue (or it might be blueish grey). Similar (but black) MD69RNA was parked in front of this, and both cars are used as crew ferry vehicles. The car in the yard on the right is believed to be private. LCBS (London Country Bus Services) inherited 33 garages from London Transport upon its formation in 1970. Much has changed over the past 51 years and the majority of the garages have been closed and demolished. Just Northfleet and Harlow have remained in continuous use, while Swanley is still a bus garage but now with a new operator. Garston closed in 2018 and demolition is reported to now be going ahead. Do any others survive?

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Andrew Colebourne	The frontage of Watford Leavesden Road has been incorporated into a new deveopment called Leavesden Lodge. Here's a link to the brochure prepared at the time: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiEubau_pz0AhVNLewKHctQAfcQFnoECAMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsewellgardner.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FCopsewood-Lodge-Leavesden-Lodge-Brochure.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1T2C26ijCoiP7xMRBWMWKn Worth a look for those not aware of it is the Garages page on Jonathan Wilkin's site: http://www.ampyx.org.uk/lcountry/ Apparently some of the boundary wall of Addlestone still stands. It is also worth noting that the former Eastern National garage in South Street, Bishops Stortford, which was used by National to run Northern Country Area services, still survives. Ironically it is used by National Tyres and Autocare: https://www.national.co.uk/branch/221/bishops-stortford/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=mybusiness See also Google maps here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.8655939,0.1608682,3a,75y,71.94h,86.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smviPqU8TIOeemECZK4Oqqw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192	Tue 16/11/2021, 14:29