Bluebell, Poppy and Tally Ho! LHG Meeting 16Th September 2015 Introduction
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History of Bluebell, Poppy and Tally Ho! LHG Meeting 16th September 2015 Introduction Some time ago I came across a write-up about Tally Ho! buses and thought it would be an interesting topic for an LHG meeting. I then discovered this book in the local history section of Kingsbridge Library but it was for reference only. However, I was delighted to find on the internet that I could buy a copy for £5. When it arrived 2 days later I noticed that the author, Roger Grimley lived at Bigbury --- so I telephoned him to see if he would be willing to talk to us. Sadly, he said he no longer gave talks — so you have to listen to me instead! This is how the book begins: “At midday on Tuesday 12th July 1904 a large concourse of people assembled at the upper part of Fore Street, Kingsbridge to witness the departure of a motor 'bus on its journey to Salcombe. The car left the front of the Albion Hotel in fine style and proceeded down the street in a manner that proved that the chauffeur thoroughly understood his business and that the brake power was such as to give him perfect control of the car, even on the steep gradient. When the car approached the hill near the station it was evident that the defective and somewhat limited power of the car rendered the hill a formidable obstacle, but after a little adjustment it proceeded to climb the hill and capital speed was made until Pinhey's Hill was reached. Here again the hill climbing gear was considerably taxed in negotiating the incline but, after a brief stoppage and a little further attention to the defective wire, the car approached Malborough, very much to the gratification of the expectant villagers. On leaving Malborough a splendid run was made to Salcombe, the car being pulled up outside the Marine Hotel for a short time and afterwards taken through the narrow Fore Street to the King's Arms Quay, where it was inspected and commented upon by a large number of residents. At an impromptu lunch a toast was drunk, "Success to the projected service of motor 'buses between Kingsbridge and Salcombe". A speedy means of transit should involve expenditure of money and would naturally tend to improve the business of both places. If the people of Kingsbridge and district would regard the vehicles as "their cars" there could be no question whatever upon the success of the project. The car afterwards got under away again and returned to Kingsbridge in fine style. The hills were easily negotiated and the car seemed in much better fettle than on the morning trip so it was taken round by Churchstow, where a short stop was made and considerable interest manifested. The party returned to Kingsbridge in the evening having thoroughly enjoyed the experience.” 1 But first let me go back to 1893 when the Great Western Railway opened the branch line from South Brent to Kingsbridge. Horse-drawn wagonettes and coaches now awaited passengers at Kingsbridge Station (see above) instead of Wrangaton to convey people to and from Salcombe and other coastal places. Then from 1903 motor services became available because GWR set up Road Motor Services from their railheads. People in the South Hams therefore wanted GWR to set up a motor service from Kingsbridge to Salcombe but GWR declined. (Perhaps they were concerned about the steep hills and narrow roads.) However local people in Modbury created their own motor service to Plymouth and this increased the pressure on Kingsbridge and Salcombe to do likewise. As it happened, in 1904 three gentlemen from London, Messrs Parken, Sturton and Gregson came to Kingsbridge and Salcombe with a view to installing electric lighting. They heard about the desire for a motor service and decided to become involved, especially Mr Sturton. Thus the Kingsbridge, Salcombe and South Devon Motor Company was born. But the baby didn’t live long. You see, there were problems! The excerpt I read at the start was a trial run on the 12th July 1904 between Kingsbridge and Salcombe. It was a success. The motor vehicle which was purchased came from Newton Abbot but had an accident on the way to Kingsbridge and so did not arrive until the 11th July i.e. the day before the trial run. Two days later, on the 14th it was used to convey the Kingsbridge cricket team to Totnes. It climbed the hills well but had an accident entering Totnes. A horse-drawn trap pulled up suddenly in front of the Kingsbridge Inn on a narrow stretch of road. The bus driver had to swerve to avoid it and damaged a wheel. (I don’t know the end of the story!). Mr Sturton was determined to invest in a better vehicle and very soon a 24hp omnibus arrived from London for the August Bank Holiday (beginning of August in those days). It was a German-built Durkopp. 2 A trial trip over Dartmoor was arranged carrying a group of local worthies. Such a vehicle had never been seen before and crowds gathered in towns and villages on the moor and the trip went well. Mr Sturton and friends were congratulated. In August a timetable was drawn up for regular running between Kingsbridge and Salcombe. There were several minor delays during the first few days, some as a result of holiday congestion or the train arriving late (so what’s new?). But then for 2 days the bus was unable to run because the coil connected to the electrical ignition had fused. It was realised a second bus was needed. The buses coped with the hills and were well patronised but minor breakdowns continued and trains were missed or not met. More seriously someone forgot to send the accumulators to be charged and the service had to be suspended. Local people lost patience with the London promoters and the service ceased in September. In December the licence was withdrawn. The horses had the road to themselves again until 1909. In July 1909 the Great Western Railway did provide a Motor Service between Kingsbridge and Salcombe and of course they faced no competition, that is — until after the 1st World War. After WWI road transport came to the fore and trips to the seaside and moors became popular. Also visits to shops, football matches and theatres in towns such as Plymouth were an attraction. The lack of a direct rail service (because Kingsbridge to Plymouth required a change at South Brent) was exploited fully by local motor proprietors. Now charabancs and village carriers abandoned horse traction for the new-fangled motors. 3 At first dual-purpose vehicles were used locally to maximise profit. The passenger carrying vehicle was known as a charabanc — from the French term meaning a carriage with (wooden) benches — which was originally horse-drawn and later driven by motor. The charabanc had a canvas cover which could be pulled over the top in bad weather but was very heavy to operate. There were no side screens in the early days. The body of the vehicle was built separately from the motor chassis so that a second goods body could be fitted when the charabanc was not needed. Pictured below is Trant’s Lorry in 1921. Trant owned the Kingsbridge Town Mill. Thus carrying passengers could be fitted in between rabbit trapping, farming, scrap metal dealing or haulage. The seasons brought different opportunities and it was possible to keep occupied throughout the year. Some Local Operators There are 22 listed in Roger Grimley’s book! I shall concentrate on only four. 1. Noyces In July 1919 Edwin Noyce bought a 24 – 26hp Napier lorry and informed the public that he was prepared to do any kind of hauling by motor traction and that pleasure trips could also be arranged (bench seats being fitted to the lorry). Personal attention was assured and estimates given. He was planning trips to Newton Abbot races on the 4th and 5th August (bank holiday) and to avoid disappointment passengers are advised to book their seats at once. 4 With the development of motor transport, outings became very popular and local people were able to travel further and see places they had never been to before. Edwin Noyce set about building up this aspect of the business by using his motor lorry to carry either goods or people as demand dictated, for to make a profit it was necessary to make as much use of the vehicle as possible. He developed a programme of regular pleasure trips from Island House, Ebrington Street e.g. Sundays to Dartmouth, fare 3s 6d. Depart Kingsbridge 1.30 pm. Return from Dartmouth 7pm. Also Paignton, Teignmouth and Plymouth. At the end of summer coastal tours ceased and he concentrated on Plymouth where there were year-round attractions. As I said before, there was a rail link from Kingsbridge to Plymouth but this involved changing trains at South Brent, whereas the lorry, although primitive, did afford a through journey e.g. on Saturday for a special fare of 5s. (5s 6d on Thursdays) departure from Kingsbridge was at 12.30pm returning from Plymouth at 10.30pm, allowing people to go shopping or see a football match, then have a drink at a local hostelry or go to the theatre. When the passengers had assembled for the return journey, the Napier set off into the night to tackle the long hilly road to the South Hams. To give some protection against the elements, the lorry was fitted with a cover although in a SW gale there was little anyone could do to stop the driving wind and rain and the travellers huddled in the darkness trying to ignore the discomfort and revive the experiences of the day out.