| Matlock
Bath: Bus Services, 1912 - 1933 |
| Matlock Bath : Twentieth Century Photographs, Postcards, Engravings & Etchings |
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Hand's bus, Grand Pavilion car park
Stan Hawley, the conductor, is standing on the steps.
Mr. Hawley eventually became the North Western inspector at
Matlock[1]. |
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In early 1912 Messrs. Martin and Briddon of Matlock Bath and
Furniss and Hand of Matlock, the owners of the four horsed
buses plying between Matlock, Matlock Bath, and Cromford,
suspended their Matlock service and went on strike for one
day. This followed offers made to both Matlock and Matlock
Bath Council's from motor bus owners from Nottingham and
Sheffield who wanted to begin a service between Matlock and
Cromford. The local firms sought a guarantee they would be
given the right to run their buses during the summer[2].
A few months later the two
Councils joined forced to debate the question of a motor-bus
service between Matlock and Cromford; their conference brought
arrangements with William Hand and William Furniss for
a service a step nearer. Hand and Furniss were to provide
half hourly motor-bus services to take the place of charabancs
from October of that year, along a route from Crown Square,
through Matlock Bath and on to Cromford Market Place[3].
William Furniss[4] took
over much of Briddon's coach business. Their booking hall
was tucked into the corner where the bus stop is at the bottom
of the hill by the Fishpond Hotel[5].
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Pre First World War Driver's Licence issued
by Derbyshire County Council.
The licence, no.1136, was issued to the
web mistress's grandfather, John Clay. He worked for William
Furniss,
some of whose vehicles were garaged at Portland House at
that time. John and William Henry Furniss
were childhood friends and planned to set up in business
together after the war. It was not to be.
See War Memorials
William Henry Furniss's bus outside the
Fishpond Hotel, about 1924.
By 1924 the Matlock to Cromford route was "operated
by three local companies, W. H. Furniss and Hands Garages
Ltd., of Matlock and E. Williams and Co. of Matlock Bath,
the latter trading as Spa Motor Services"[1];
Mr. Le Blanc Smith was the Managing Director of Williams'. Hand's
Garages advertised premises in North Parade, Matlock Bath
in 1922[6]. Guy
Le Blanc Smith had bought the land from one of the Hand family
in 1919 and eventually sold it to North Western Road Car Company
in 1932[7]. He
had already sold the premises under the big bay window on South
Parade, where the offices and tyre store for Spar motors had
been, to the Astills in 1925 and they opened a cafe[8].
Enlargement of the Furniss bus, a Maudslay.
Postcard of Underwood's bus, Grand Pavilion
car park
Messrs. W. T. Underwood were the proprietors
of the Chesterfield-Matlock bus service, running to Matlock
via Chesterfield Road and Matlock Green. In May 1924 Matlock
Council suggested Underwood's bus should stop at the
tram terminus in Matlock so that the two services could work
together[9].
Underwood's service had, up till then, terminated at Causeway
Lane but the idea was mooted that their next licence
should be granted only on condition that their route ended
at the tram depot[1].
A few day's later Mr Underwood responded to the Council's
proposal, telling them that he intended running the service
right through to Cromford, which put a very different complexion
on the matter![10] The
Council's idea was dropped and Underwood's clearly got most
of what they wanted. They operated a service from Chesterfield,
via Kelstedge and Matlock, to Matlock Bath, terminating at
the Fish Pond. It is difficult to tell from the timetable
(below, right) whether the service only operated during
the summer months, or whether it was provided all year round.
Sadly for Underwood's, one of their buses knocked down and
killed Mrs Elizabeth Edwards of Packrall Farm, Matlock Moor
in 1926[11].
Underwood's became the East Midland Motor Services in June
1927[1].
At a
Council meeting in December 1924 Mr. Lubin Wildgoose
suggested that the Council could run a bus service equally
as well as private individuals. However, Mr. Le Blanc
Smith produced figures to show what the running costs
would be and said Council run buses couldn't collect
that sum in fares[12].
Although the Council approved Mr. Wildgoose's suggestion
they did not act on it and they were to debate the issue
several times in the future[1].
The closure of the Bank Road tram in 1927 was a turning
point for the bus companies. The Council were faced
with the problem that no bus service existed for people
to travel up and down Matlock Bank. At the same meeting
when they voted to close the tramway (18 July 1927)
they decided take immediate steps for an agreement
with bus proprietors, local or otherwise, to run a
bus service instead[13].
Four firms were approached, Messrs Hands, William Spa
Motor Services (Le Blanc Smith), North Western and
East Midland. W. H. Furniss was missed off the list,
although he and his father had been running buses between
Matlock and Cromford from the outset. He wrote to the
Council pointing out that he had not been given the
same chance as the other firms but they responded was
that they didn't consider his vehicle suitable for
the extended route[1].
In the end Williams ran a temporary service whilst
things were sorted out. By 1930 Alfreton Transport
Company, Williams, Hands and North Western were operating
a service from Cromford, through Matlock Bath and up
to the Duke of Wellington. North Western purchased
all the bus companies and from 1st October 1933 they
were the sole bus company on the route[1].
North Western used to garage their buses at the New
Bath Hotel[8]. |
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Timetable (transcript)
from the High Peak News, 19 Sep 1925 |
W. T. UNDERWOOD
LTD.
CHESTERFIELD - KELSTEDGE
- MATLOCK - MATLOCK BATH.
SUMMER SERVICE
CHESTERFIELD - Markham Road.
Dep Daily - *8.15 a.m., 9.15, 10.15, *11.15, 12.15
then every hour until 6.15 p.m., *7.15,
8.15, 9.15, *10.15.
Sundays.- 10.15 a.m., 1.15, the every hour until
9.15 p.m.
Matlock Bath - Fish Pond.
Dep Daily - 7.30 a.m., *9.45, 10.45, 11.45, *12.45,
1.45, then every hour until 7.45 p.m.
*8.45, 9.45, *10.45.
Sundays.- 11.45 a.m., 1.45, the every hour until
9.45 p.m.
*Saturdays only |
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Related pages:
 Furniss
advertisement, the Autochrome Album of Matlock & District
(scroll down the page)
 Bank
Road & the Steep-Gradient Tramway
 There is a report of the promise
of a 15 minute 'bus service on Matlock
Bath & Scarthin Newspaper Cuttings, 1921.
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1. Hand's bus photograph in the collection of and provided
by and © Glynn Waite.
2. Cover and copy of driving licence in the collection of,
provided by and © Ann Andrews.
3. "South Parade and Heights of Abraham", Valentines,
No.88725 and Furniss's bus in the collection of, provided by
and © Ann Andrews.
4. Postcard of Underwood's bus, Grand Pavilion in the collection
of and provided by and © Glynn Waite.
5. Timetable, from the "High Peak News", provided by Glynn
Waite.
Written and researched by and © Ann Andrews. Intended for
personal use only.
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References (coloured
links are to transcripts or more information elsewhere on
this web site):
[1] Waite, Glynn (2012) "The
Matlock Cable Tramway", Pynot Publishing, 50 Main
Road, Holmesfield, Dronfield, Derbyshire. ISBN 978-0-9562706-5-8
[2] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
26 January 1912.
Threatened Suspension of Matlock Service. Same paper, 29 January
1912; deadlock, the omnibus owners went on strike and no service
running for the first time in fifteen years.
[3] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
2 May 1912. An agreement was to be signed within next few days.
[4] The Furniss family were living
at Matlock Bridge at the time of the
1901 census.
They advertised in the following trade directories: Kelly's
1908 Directory, Matlock (William Snr) | Kelly's
1908 Directory, Matlock Bath (William Snr) | Kelly's
1916 Directory, Matlock (William Snr) | Kelly's
1916 Directory, Matlock Bath (William Snr) | Kelly's 1925
Directory (William, Field House, Smedley Street; William Henry,
Premier Garage, Bakewell Road, with offices on Causeway Lane;
Also Premier Garage, Matlock Bath) | Kelly's 1932 Directory
and Kelly's 1941 Directory (William Henry, motor haulage contractors,
Field House, Smedley St)
[5] Reminiscences of the late Mr.
Frank Clay, from his private papers and notes owned by
the web mistress.
[6] Kelly's 1922 Directory, Matlock
Bath.
[7] "Derbyshire
Times", 14 May 1932.
"North Western ... now run the Wirksworth
and other bus services operated by him."
[8] Notes from Doreen Buxton.
[9] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
13 May 1924.
[10] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
24 May 1924.
[11] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
4 October 1926.
[12] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
9 December 1924. Matlock Council. Proposal for a Public bus service.
Mr. Le Blanc Smith was the Managing Director of Williams Spa
Motor Services.
[13] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
19 July 1927.
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