Depots O - T
Oswestry
Oswald Road, Oswestry SY11 1RA
from May 1933 until December 1991 (After transfer to Crosville Wales)
The Oswald Road depot in Oswestry passed to Crosville from Western Transport in May 1933. This depot was originally a Drill Hall and had been purchased by the Wrexham and District Transport Co. Limited in 1930 to replace their earlier depot in Lower Brook Street.
In 1947 the allocation was 14 buses, in 1956 - 16, in 1959 - 15, in 1965 - 21, in 1970 - 26 and in 1980 -24.
The depot passed to Crosville Wales in 1986 despite the fact that Oswestry was in England. The split of the company was imposed by the Government of the day to facilitate the future privatisation of Crosville. It was convenient to have Oswestry part of the Welsh side.
The depot further transferred to Midland Red North (MRN) in 1991. MRN closed the depot in December 1991 and opened a new depot in Salop Road. This depot on Salop Road is still being used by Arriva Midlands.
The Oswald Road depot was demolished in about 2000 with the land being used for a new Aldi Supermarket.
Porthmadog
Sportsman Hotel, High Street, Porthmadog
from November 1924 until 1936
Garage, Cambrian Terrace, Porthmadog
from 1936 until September 1966
Hut, GWR Station, Adjacent to the Signal Box, Porthmadog
from September 1966 until September 1976
Ffestiniog Rail Station, Porthmadog
from 1977 until 1993
Crosville began operations in Porthmadog in 1924 and the first base used was the Sportsman Hotel on the High Street.
In 1936 a new depot was established at 'The Garage' on Cambrian Terrace. These premises were close to the G.W.R. railway. This depot initially did not have any fuelling facilities and cashing-in was done at neighbouring depots. In about 1953 fuelling was made possible with an additional building next to the railway land. In 1947 the allocation was 6 vehicles, in 1940 - 11, in 1956 - 13, in 1959 - 10 and in 1961 - 11.
The depot in Cambrian Terrace was closed in September 1966 and the vehicles were kept at the the former GWR Station yard adjacent to the signal box.
From 1977 buses were kept at the Ffestiniog Rail Station. In addition to this parking area there was an office in the High Street which provided facilities for staff to pay in and keep equipment. It also served as a seasonal enquiry and booking office. This passed to Crosville Wales in 1986 but closed in 1993.
The Royal Sportsman Hotel in the High Street, which was built in 1862, is still trading and has been extended and modernised.
The building in Cambrian Terrace still exists and houses a motor repair business.
The yard adjacent to the Signal Box is now a car park near to the Level Crossing close to the main line Railway Station.
The enquiry office in the High Street was specially pre-fabricated by Crosville and brought to the town for final erection in July 1967. It still exists and for a while was a book store.
Prestatyn
Sandy Lane, Prestatyn
from May 1930 until 1950s
When Crosville purchased the business of White Rose Motors (Brookes Bros) their former depot in Sandy Lane, Prestatyn was transferred to Crosville. This building had been used as a depot for White Rose since the 1920s. The Sandy Lane depot was used by Crosville initially as a base for the few buses working locally in Prestatyn but it also became a depot and the winter store for the toast-rack buses. During the Second World War the toast-racks were withdrawn and initially stored in Sandy Lane. However as the Sandy Lane depot has a pit for maintenance purposes an arrangement was made with the local military that they would commandeer the Sandy Lane depot and facilities were given to Crosville at military premises near the Ffrith Beach where the toast-rack buses were stored for the duration. The depot in Sandy Lane Prestatyn was used as a store by Crosville for a few years after the war but it was given up in the 1950s.
White Rose also had another depot in Prestatyn named the White Rose Centre which was on the corner of the Marine Road and Bastion Road. These premises were used by Crosville for a short period as a booking office. The White Rose Centre remained with Brookes Bros and it was used for their haulage, furniture removal and similar businesses that continued after the sale to Crosville. These premises eventually became the Territorial Army Centre until 2016 when it closed. It is currently empty awaiting decisions on its future.
The building in Sandy Lane stood until 2016 when it was demolished and the land is now occupied by a retirement residential building.
Pwllheli
Tower Hotel, High Street, Pwllheli
from November 1925 until Feb 1934
Lower Cardiff Road LL53 5NF
from February 1934 until June 1992 (After transfer to Crosville Wales)
Crosville began operations in Pwllheli following the purchase of the business of George E Richards (Busy Bee Motors) of Caernarfon in November 1925. Busy Bee operated a service from Llanberis to Pwllheli and the bus was out-stationed at the Tower Hotel, High Street in Pwllheli. This service was augmented in 1927 with additional buses.
In 1933 it was decided to build a depot in Pwllheli in Lower Cardiff Road and this was opened in February 1934. In 1947 the allocation to Pwllheli was 15 buses, in 1956 - 33, in 1959 - 32, in 1965 - 34 and in 1970 - 21.
The depot transferred to Crosville Wales in 1986. The depot was closed in June 1992 and the premises demolished shortly afterwards with a new supermarket being erected on the site.
The Tower Hotel building is Grade II listed and has been closed for a number of years. It is currently for sale.
Following the closure of the Lower Cardiff Road depot Crosville Wales vehicles were parked in the area now occupied by the ASDA supermarket until an out-station was established at the premises of Parry's Coaches on the Glan-y-Don Industrial Estate. The out-station was later moved to the premises of Caelloi on the Promenade. Following the transfer to Arriva Cymru in 1998 the out-station moved again in 2004 to the Glandon Spar on Caernarfon Road. Arriva ended their operations in Pwllheli in December 2020 when the main service running from Pwllheli to Blaenau Ffestiniog was taken over by Lloyds Coaches of Machynlleth. For a number of months before this the bus operating this service did not use the Pwllheli out-station and travelled each day back and from the Bangor depot.
Rachub, Bethesda, Gwynedd
3 Llwyn Bleddyn Road, Llanllechid, Rachub
from 1952 until unknown date in 1960s
Carneddi Garage, Henbarc Road, Rachub
from unknown date in 1960s until February 1972
In February 1952 Crosville purchased the business of Mrs Myfanwy Ellis of 3 Llwyn Bleddyn Road, Llanllechid, Rachub who traded as Ellis Blue Motors.
Following the take-over additional journeys appeared on the Crosville timetables and from 1952 until 1972 there was a positioning journey on the 518 (later N71) Rachub to Bethesda route showing a vehicle leaving the Llanllechid out-station at 0645 and returning to the village at 1645.
Initially the premises used for the single vehicle was that of the former Ellis Blue Motors at Llwyn Bleddyn Road in Llanllechid but sometime in the 1960s the out-station moved to Carneddi Garage in nearby Rachub.
A local resident and bus enthusiast has kindly indicated that he recalls that the driver was named Huw and that the bus usually out-stationed was SSG613 (783EFM). This bus is now preserved.
The premises in Llwyn Bleddin Road became the Anchor Garage and later the depot of D and G Coaches (David Oswald Brotherton) who traded there until 2000 when he retired. Some of his vehicles and the service he ran was transferred to Arriva Cymru.
SSG613 (783EFM) - photo courtesy Phil Redmond
Rhyl
Crescent Road, Rhyl
from 1 May 1930 until August 1988
Albion Works, Ffynnongroew Road LL18 1WB
from 1 May 1930 - still used by Arriva
Crosville did not have a presence in Rhyl until in May 1930 when it purchased the bus and coach operations of White Rose (Brookes Bros). In addition to the buses and coaches transferred there were a number of buildings involved. This included the Albion Works in Ffynnongroew Road, the depot in Crescent Road and the Bus Station on the High Street.
The Crescent Road depot was initially the main bus depot and accommodated over 50 buses. It had powered washing facilities, fuel tanks, offices and a staff Social Club. Unfortunately it suffered a significant fire in July 1945 which started at night in the Social Club. The building was gutted and the whole premises had to be re-built. It was completely redeveloped and became the main coach station of the town. It was also an over flow depot housing normally the coach fleet and open-top buses. It was also a winter vehicle store. It finally closed in August 1981. After the building was demolished the land has been used as a car park.
The Albion Works premises in Ffynongroew Road was once a base for the business of Rhyl Amusements Limited and was used as a manufacturing base for fairground rides and miniature railways. Brookes Bros acquired the premises in 1928 and it transferred to Crosville in 1930. It was initially used by Crosville as the main maintenance facility but following the fire at Crescent Road in 1945 the Albion also became the main depot. The depot was rebuilt during the winter of 1950. In 1947 the allocation to Rhyl was 55 vehicles, in 1956 - 93, 1959 - 90, 1965 - 89 and in 1970 - 54.
The depot transferred to Crosville Wales in 1986 and then to Arriva Cymru in 1998. In 2017 the depot was rebuilt at a cost of £3M and is still in use.
Rochdale
Weir Street, Rochdale
from November 1988 until November 1989
An unusual place where Crosville had a depot for a short period was Rochdale. Yelloway Motors Services was a bus and coach firm that started operations as Holt Brothers in the first years of the twentieth century within the Lancashire town using a pony and cart. Yelloway became a major successful coach and bus business until the 1980s when the business was sold and the decline began. It changed hands a number of times and it ended under the ownership of Drawlane which also owned Crosville. Because of this from November 1988 it was decided that the crumbling bus operation at Rochdale would come under the management of Crosville. The Yelloway fleet, which by this time was run down, was soon replaced by buses from the main Crosville fleet. However in November 1989 due to a further reorganisation within the Group, after just one year of Crosville in Rochdale the depot and its fleet transferred from Crosville to the Beeline Buzz Company Limited.
The depot was in Weir Street and as well as being a bus depot it had also served the town as a Coach Station for express services. Soon after the name Crosville disappeared from Rochdale the depot was closed and demolished. For a while it was a temporary car park but the whole area in that part of the town has now been completely regenerated and the land of the former depot is now the location of Number One Riverside housing the main Council Offices of Rochdale Borough Council. A short distance away is the Rochdale Bus and Coach Interchange opened in 2013 which also has a connection to the Metrolink trams.
Rock Ferry
659 New Chester Road, Rock Ferry L42 1PZ
from April 1932 - still used by Stagecoach
The Rock Ferry depot was opened in April 1932 and replaced the former depot in New Ferry.
The allocation to the depot in 1947 was 68, in 1949 - 84, in 1956 - 94, in 1959 - 90 and in 1962 - 88.
In February 1990 the depot, vehicles and services passed to PMT Limited. For a while the new company used Crosville on its logo. However the business in June 1995 became part of the First Group and the depot continued to be used. In November 2012 the depot and services were purchased by Stagecoach and the depot has been used continually since.
Runcorn
West Road, Weston Point, Runcorn
from 1920 until December 1934
Baker Road, Weston Point, Runcorn
from January 1935 until 1942
ICI Works, South Parade, Weston Point, Runcorn
from 1939 until 1942
Broadway, Off Victoria Road, Runcorn
from 1942 until November 1975
Beechwood Avenue, Runcorn WA7 4SB
from November 1975 and still being used today (following transfer to Arriva)
Crosville had a presence in Runcorn from a very early stage. A service began between Chester and Runcorn in 1919. This service developed and by 1920 a depot was established in West Road, Weston Point. In 1920 there were four vehicles — the maximum the garage could take at that time. The Depot manager was Mr. Meddlicott and only one service was operated.
Much later eight vehicles were required to maintain service, seven of which were garaged at the enlarged West Road depot, while the eighth — used for first and last journeys each day to and from Weston Point — was out-stationed at a funeral director's yard
In 1935 businesses of two other operators were acquired and with them a garage and petrol station in Baker Road. The depot in West Road housing 8 buses was closed and a new depot in Baker Road, Weston Point was established. By 1939 the allocation to Runcorn had increased to 29 buses and therefore 12 buses were parked in the ICI Works, South Parade, Weston Point and a further 3 buses were parked in an undertakers yard.
Wartime expansion saw the allocation of Runcorn rise to 42 and therefore there was a need for a new depot and this was found in Broadway, off Victoria Road. Additional parking of vehicles occurred on nearby land. The allocation after the war in 1947 was 37, in 1956 - 36, 1959 - 36, 1965 - 46 and in 1970 - 36. The depot in Broadway was used until November 1975.
In November 1975 the last Crosville depot in Runcorn was opened in Beechwood Avenue. A total of 145 Crosville staff was based at Beechwood Avenue — 116 traffic staff and 29 engineering staff. Cost of building and equipping the depot was:— Main construction work — £466,000, Plant and equipment — £34,000, Land - £45,000. Initially the depot had an allocation of 51 single deck vehicles, all one-man-operated.
In November 1989 the vehicles and depots of Runcorn and Warrington transferred to North Western Road Car Company Limited. The depot later passed to Arriva Merseyside and the depot is still being used by Arriva.
The former Crosville depot on Broadway was demolished and there is now a drive- in Costa and the Public House Ten Lock Flight on the land. The road between these two premises is called 'Crosville Way'.
Talybont, Ceredigion
Davmor Garage, New Street, Talybont
from about 1972 until about 1979
For a seven year period Crosville out-stationed a bus at the Davmor Garage in the village of Talybont which is situated on the A487 road about halfway between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth. Talybont was an out-station of Aberystwyth.
Tattenhall
High Street, Tattenhall
from July 1934 until at least 1939
In July 1934 Crosville purchased the business of Thomas O Maddocks of High Street, Tattenhall. He had been trading since 1925 running a service between Tattenhall and Chester. This service had been extended to Broxton, Bunbury and Whitchurch. Eight buses were transferred. For a period Crosville used the premises of Maddocks in the High Street as a depot and it was listed in timetables up to 1939. With thanks to the Clerk to Tattenhall & District Parish Council it has been ascertained that the location of the depot was on the High Street opposite the Barbour Institute. The land of this depot is now used for housing.
One of the photos below was kindly supplied to me by Paul Jones - part of his LRPS collection. It was taken at the front of the Crosville depot on Tattenhall High Street. It shows the Rector of Tattenhall, the Revd. Robert Welby Colston (the old man in the hat), seeing the local children off on the 1937 Coronation trip to Chester.
Tywyn
Rail Station Forecourt, Station Road, Tywyn
from September 1970 until 1995 (After transfer to Crosville Wales in 1986)
Following the closure of the Bryncrug out-station in 1970 two buses were parked overnight on the Rail Station Forecourt in Tywyn. The name of the town was formerly spelled Towyn and it is a seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd. A Portakabin was provided at the out-station. The allocation was reduced to a single bus in 1976. The out-station was also used by Crosville Wales until 1995
